Bruises, Bitemarks and Betrayal
by DarkDragoness97
Summary: [Remake] Lucy, a girl suffering from amnesia, is an investigative journalist. So when letters and photo's of her past turn up at crime scenes involving murdered people she had known, Lucy realises that, in order to get the information on her past that she wants, she needs a bargaining chip. And information on the notorious Fairy Tail Mafia is just that.
1. The Man in the Dream

**A/n: I know this took ages for me to remake this, I just kept forgetting about it ahaha! So I remade this story [and deleted the old one] because I thought it might be easier this way, with the slower build it up rather than her breaking down and going psycho in, like, the first chapter :')**

 **I do not own the characters, they belong to their creator and our beloved saviouir: Hiro Mashima. Also the characters will be OOC [but I'll try and keep them in character!] due to the Au itself, after all it's a lot darker and probably will be slightly twisted compared to our beloved _Fair Tail._ Nevertheless, please enjoy!**

Chapter One:

The Man in the Dream.

It had been almost a year since Lucy was discharged from the hospital in Crocus. Having been told she had temporary amnesia, they allowed her to go after her results had came back normal. They had told her that her memories would return over time, and that she may have to wait a few months before she would start remembering.

It had been almost a year now. She had yet to remember anything. However, instead of being worried about it, or even looking into finding about her past, she had decided to get a job. So here she was. Outside her and her friends office in the police station.

"Ohayo, Lu-chan!" A short woman with blue hair smiled and waved towards the blonde.

"Ohayo, Levy-chan! Any luck with the new case?" Lucy smiled back to the girl. One thing Lucy did know what that Levy was somewhat familiar to her. The first moment they had met, Levy already knew her name and seemed overly excited to see her, when Lucy asked how she had simply looked confused. That was when Lucy told her about her amnesia, and so Levy replied with 'Oh! Are you okay? And we went to high school and college together..'. Lucy had instantly believed her as what she had said seemed to ring a bell. However, Lucy knew there was more to that story, so whenever she asked about the past, Levy would immediately act suspicious before she eventually gave her a guilty smile and admitted they didn't talk much back then as they hung around different people and whatnot. That, on the other hand, didn't seem right to the bubbly blonde. After all, Levy seemed to know an awful lot about her.

"Not as of yet. We're not even sure if this is the same gang. In fact" Levy looked around the station before leaning in to me "There's rumours that this could be the work of a mafia, and not even some low ranking one either, but the powerful and notorious _Fairy Tail_ ". Lucy furrowed her brows and bit on her bottom lip. _Fairy Tail? Why does that seem...familiar._ Lucy couldn't help but to test the name a few times before turning back to her fun-sized friend.

"Fairy...Tail...wh.." Lucy gave a sheepish little smile before scratching at hyer cheek. "Should...I know of them? Like...who they are and stuff?" Lucy watched in utter confusion as Levy's expressions changed. First it was a somewhat sad and painful look, to disbelief, then it was worry, then confusion, then she just relaxed and gave a nervous giggle.

"Jeesh, Lu-chan, how much did you forget?"

"You mean my memory? Ano.." Lucy looked down at her hands before muttering "I can only remember up until I was...about fifteen? I'm not sure...some of the memories are blurred or feel like they're incomplete…"

"Oh..Lu-chan...I'm so sorry" Levy frowned before placing a comforting hand on her best friends arm. "Anyway, I'll probably go over the details about that later...maybe lunch at my place? After all, it's not safe to speak about them in public" Looking around again the bluenette seemed to relax a bit "I know more than I should, being the daughter of the chief of police and all...just don't let anyone know, this stuff is super confidential, okay?" Levy leaned in to whisper into the curvaceous blonde's ear before pulling back. "Anyway, meet at mine around 8-"

"Actually...I was hoping you'd be able to come to mine...I only came in to find you since I can type up my report at home since it's from a private investigation. You see, I sort of needed your knowledge as I found something strange while I was on the case" Lucy looked around this time before leaning in to Levy "I think it has something to do with the case you're on. I believe you may be right, about this not being a gang and it being something...more powerful, like a mafia". Lucy watched curiously as she watched Levy. Recently the bluenette had been acting strange. Stranger than normal. She disappeared randomly during her shifts -according to other officers. She also appeared during the most...convenient of times, as if she knew when Lucy needed her, or to take her on a case, that somehow had something to do with her past. And example of which was when it was a case involving a female named Karen Lilica, a woman who Lucy had known in the past. She was an abusive woman, and the mother of Lucy's childhood friend, Loke -or Leo for short since he used to remind her of a strong Lion and could easily be described as a leader type of person- If that wasn't strange enough, when Levy had ran off and Lucy had followed her, she hadn't found her petite friend, but instead, a really creepy note that lay on the pavement. It was covered in blood, the lettering was familiar and messy. Lucy never did give that piece of evidence in. Instead she held onto the letter that held a little...message for her. Whoever had left it, obviously knew her. Enough to know her full name. Enough to know who she was. To know about her past. How they did was beyond the blonde. She never saw anyone leave the message.

Since that moment it seemed she continued to find more and more of these. To the point where she had even came home a few times to find them sitting on her coffee table. Whenever she questioned Levy about her past, it always lead to the same situation; Levy denying she knew anything about any problems Lucy may have had. Any connection to anyone that she may have ran away from. The bluenette often changed the subject. At least she did, Up until recently when she denied that they were actually friends in the past. Being a detective, this obviously didn't sit right with the taller woman. After all, how can someone, who had apparently only spoken to you twice, know your favourite drink, food, book, song and...well...the list can go on. The fact was that this...stranger who only ever saw the blonde around college, knew an awful lot about her, more than what Lucy would usually be comfortable with, if it wasn't for some weird feeling of familiarity towards the bluenette; another hint that Levy was hiding something from the blonde. Something that may be valuable and important.

Instead of acting differently towards the slender girl, Lucy continued to act as though she hadn't noticed anything strange, while keeping a close eye on her. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friend, far from it, but it was more that she was curious as to why her friend was hiding some pretty useful information from her.

And one way or another. Lucy Heartfilia will get a hold of that information. Even if it meant following her best friend when she sneaks off and starts acting shady. After all. If Levy McGarden wasn't going to share her information, then Lucy will get it out of her. Somehow.

As Lucy mulled this over inside her mind she also thought of another interesting detail Levy had mentioned. She was looking into Fairy Tail, a mafia. A powerful Mafia. Which meant that the chief's information would be limited. Meaning Levy would love to get her hands on some extra information. So...if Lucy was to happen to get some extra information...Levy would be prepared to make a deal. Lucy watched halfheartedly as Levy told her to be ready and prepare some food for 7 as she'll be around then. Waving goodbye, the blonde turned to head back home, hands shoved into her pockets and she thought over what she could do.

She could follow Levy. Try and find out something about her past. But Levy was too smart to slip up like that, and she was good -real good- at being able to get away without being seen. Not to mention she's brilliant at mind games. Lucy would end up losing information that way. However, with some 'top secret' information on this Fairy Tail mafia...she might just be able to bribe her. Lucy frowned and chewed on the inside of her cheek. One major problem. Lucy would have to go _looking_ for this lethal group. It was dangerous. In order to even attempt to figure out where and how she could possibly get this information, she'd really need to get Levy to tell her what she knew, which thankfully, won't be hard since that's exactly what she wants to do tonight. Something about this felt off, but Lucy just flipped it off in hope that her friend really did just want Lucy to know just who the group were. Rather than trying to pique the blonde's interest in hopes that she'll go digging around. Lucy quickly shoved that thought away. Levy wouldn't do that to her.

Lucy brought her hand up to her lips before hooking her thumb nail under her top front teeth and nervously biting down softly. Did she really want to take such a huge risk? But what if she never actually regained her memories? This could be her only way of getting them back. Levy was a hard woman to bargain with. Almost worse than half the gangsters in this town, and Magnolia was a town ruled by the underworld, the gangsters around here won't even trade a mouldy slice of bread unless it was with some real fucking valuable information. Lucy groaned to herself, slowing down as she reached her apartment. Looking up at the door in front of her, she dug her keys out and shoved them into the lock, cursing under her breath as they jammed.

"Stupid fucking shitty door" she mumbled as she finally slammed the door open. Closing it behind her she threw her keys into the bowl on the coffee table before shrugging off her leather bikers jacket and gloves. She groaned as she stretched out and heaved out a sigh. She glanced up at the clock as she walked towards her study room. _I still have three hours until Levy comes around._ With that she reached down to her shoe, pulling out a key from a compartment in the heel of her shiny leather Demonia high heeled boots [ _A/n:_ _originally I put the make in but decided the easiest way to explain the is Taylor Momsen boots or the woman from Underworld, and yes, sorry guys but Lucy will be slightly into her badass leather boots, jackets and biker gloves ;D_ ]. Grabbing the handle of the door she continued to unlock it before pushing her way in. She sighed and leaned against the door as she closed it quietly before making her way through the study. She moved over towards her desk before looking through her drawers. Pulling out the middle one she removed the twin pistols she kept in there before opening up the small compartment hidden at the bottom and taking out a small plain box. Opening it up she stared down at the photograph stapled to her most recent letter.

Lucy stood there next to a raven-haired guy who wasn't much taller than her. On the other side of the male stood a crimson haired female. The intimidating eyes of said female looked disinterestedly towards the camera. A katana held tightly in her clenched hand, the handle decorated in what looked like pink cherry-blossom petals and golden fairies.. All three of them were in there teenage years. So Lucy guessed it wasn't too long ago since she was only twenty and only managed to get this damn job because they had an opening and she had the qualifications and training. Honestly, it was mainly Levy that got her the job. Levy was the same age as the blonde, and since they were both equal in intellect, Chief McGarden had allowed Lucy onto the force. But only as an investigative journalist. She gets to go out to crimes and write up on what she found and whatnot, nothing to major. Though they didn't allow her onto the field. Yet. Anyway, Lucy figured she was around 17 or 18 within the photo. Though, that wasn't what caught her attention. What caught her eye was that she stood there. Holding her twin guns, that were previously her mother's -and now sat on the desk next to the box holding this photo- with blood covering not only her, but the two teens with her. What's worse was that she was _grinning._ The manic-crazed, bloodthirsty look in her own eyes knocked her sick. There was no way she could harm someone. There was no way she could _kill_ someone. Yet there she was. Blood on her clothes and smothered over her face, the look of lust and in her eyes as if she had actually _enjoyed_ it. She wished so much that this photo wasn't real. That it was a fake. But something told her it hadn't been photo-shopped. That this had actually happened. She closed her eyes and swallowed before placing the lid back onto the box and shoving it back into the compartment. She knew she'd have to look at it again later. Just not yet though. For now she'll leave it and figure a way to get some information to trade with Levy. She needed to know what her past was like, even if, deep down, she didn't _want_ to know. After all, they do say that what you don't know, won't harm you.

" _Ignorance is bliss, isn't it, Luce?"_ the deep, husky voice from her dream last night rang out inside her head once more. She bit down on her bottom lip, hard. Hard enough to draw blood as she slammed her eyes tightly shut. _It can't be a coincidence that I had that dream. That that man said that, only to wake up with this photo and letter as a gift on my fridge. Especially when the letter held that exact message._


	2. The Fortune Teller

**Chapter Two: The Fortune Teller.**

It had been four months since the night Levy had last been seen.

Lucy had been the last to see her that night. The bluenette had been true to her word and had passed all the information she had on Fairy Tail to the blonde when she had gone around for the meal that had been planned. Handing the folder over once they had finished before talking about the symbol Lucy had wanted the girl to view and -just as Lucy had suspected- it was _their_ logo. Fairy Tails insignia.

Less than three days after Lucy had began to sort through the data her phone had rang. According to 'Mest', an undercover name for the local detective whose name only the chief and Jason knew -a man Lucy had only spoke to once, and not in person- Chief McGarden had lost contact with the petite girl and had went to her apartment, only to find it trashed with blood found on broken pieces of window glass.

An hour after the call Lucy had found herself inside her best friends home. True to the description the place was destroyed. The table broken and splintered. Her bed and covers ripped apart and scattered around her bedroom. The living room and kitchen were littered with her cutlery and books that had been completely shredded to pieces. Everything she owned was thrown, broken or ripped. Her bath and sink lay partly broken on her marble floor. Her mirror lay among the debris. The only thing that lay in tack in the girls' apartment was the toilet.

Upon further inspection Lucy and Jason, another investigative reporter, had both found blood spots hidden in the blunette's fluffy chocolate brown rug. No other evidence was found. No phone, no laptop. Nothing.

Weeks went by and no word or sighting of the small girl had been reported. The blood sample, however, had been a match to the bookworm. A result that did nothing to ease the chief or the blonde.

As the weeks passed Lucy began looking into anything that her friend could have been involved in. Recent cases, people she may have used for information, other friends she may have been contacting. Unfortunately, without Levy's laptop or phone, digging up or even tracing her last two and a half days after her visit to Lucy's apartment wasn't exactly easy and often ended up at a dead end or with pieces missing.

It wasn't until a month ago that the chief had told Lucy that she was to be taken off of Levy's case as her 'relations with Levy' may cause her to make mistakes since this case was personal. Lucy's reply was that this case was technically personal to everyone by that logic since she was a part of the department. Though she hadn't said it in those exact words. Or that calmly for that matter. And so here she was, suspended from her job until further notice with her identification taken off of her.

Lucy shoved her hands into her back jeans pocket as she continues her journey towards the old car park behind the half demolished high school that stood at the edge of town, five minutes away from the abandoned dock warehouses. As she rounded the corner she paused, looking around for the brunette girl she had been contacting the past two weeks. The girl was known as 'The fortune teller' or 'The Card Holder' and had a lot of information on those from the underworld, for a good price she did anyway. Lucy pulled out a pack of twenty Richmond and shoved one past her lips before fumbling through her pockets for a lighter.

"Here" the familiar voice of her 'informer' spoke, a flame flickering in front of the blonde's cigarette.

"Thanks" Lucy mumbled as she leaned towards it slightly and puffed on the nicotine filled stick. Placing the stick between her middle and index finger, she pulled it away and watched as the smoke blew past her lips as she breathed out.

"You haven't changed much, huh". Lucy's eyes narrowed slightly from the brunettes remark before she brought her hand back to her mouth. _Play along._ Taking another pull she flicked the ash off before replying.

"I guess not." Lucy couldn't help but wonder if she actually knew the girl or if she was being confused with someone else. The brunette chuckled before looking around.

"Been a while, Lucy, but I didn't think it had been long enough to forget an old friend. Guess I was wrong. Anyway, here" the wavy haired brunette pulled out a folded up piece of card from her small pouch "I've emailed you the information you wanted. Delete it soon though.." Lucy finished off her cigarette while eyeing up the paper.

"So, what's that for?"

"This is additional information, a request from your an old...friend. Take it, the information you want has nothing on this" With that the bikini-top wearing woman carefully placed the folded letter into the shorter girl's right hand before turning on her heel and waving back at her before getting into her car. "Those memories of yours will come back eventually and when they do, well...they say that ignorance is bliss. I'll see you again soon". As the engine started up Lucy's eyes shot up in time to watch the car pull away. _Ignorance is bliss._

"So she did know me" mumbling under her breath. Looking down at the white, lined paper in her hand she decided to open it instead of waiting. Her eyes skimmed across the rushed writing that decorated the page. With each sentence her eyes hardened, her hands tightened and her jaw clenched.

 ** _A/N: Sorry this is short, it was originally longer but I decided to cut it off here and post the next chapter on Saturday -when I post up my chapter for FT wolves and my new version of The Band of the Fallen. Thanks for being patient guys! [Next chapter will be around 4k word mark! though it'll be in Fairy Tails point of view rather than Lucy's, but I might post two chapters, who knows ;D]_**


	3. Fox in a Rabbit Suit

**Chapter Three: Fox in a Rabbit Suit.**

 _Meet at the docks, behind the old tobacco warehouse. Wednesday - 01:00am. Don't be late, unless you're okay with finding this blue haired bitches brains scattered on the pavement. -Cobra._

Lucy spent the week sorting through the emailed data, writing it down and following up on rumours that could lead to their base. However, it only ended up as being just that: rumours. No truth behind them at all. Except for one, something about a crimson haired 'assassin'. A sword wielder with hair similar to fresh blood. A sinfully beautiful woman, who was as quick as the wind and as sharp as the weapons she uses.

She had found out about this woman, Titania, while hunting down an informer. As she was rushing to make her way to meet up with the Fortune Teller and a woman with white hair code named 'animal' -not really what Lucy wanted when asking for the girls name- she had stopped not far from the entrance of a back alleyway, known to house an unnamed gang made up from high schoolers. She had over heard one mention about the scarlet coloured woman and how she had been involved with the murder of Karen. What really caught Lucy's attention was when another mentioned a half dressed raven-haired man that had worked alongside her. At that point the image of the photograph popped into mind and her feet had begun to take her to where the voices came from.

It was safe to say that not all of them were kids like she believed and some even knew how to fight. She ended up getting a bruised cheekbone and a slight 'graze' across her collarbone and neck, a cut that happened because it had been a while since she had last had a fist fight, something that she only remembered happening once, for the first time, when she was only fourteen. Something she also knew wasn't the last time it had happened, but it had been a while since she had done that. It confused Lucy at first as she didn't really _move_ her body, it was as though it just came naturally to her. Anyway, the whole incident happened because she had let her guard down on the last guy. In the end she had gotten the information she wanted before she forced the guys head into the wall and walked away.

Shoving her hands into her pockets after putting her left earphone into her ear she looked around before exiting the alley and making her way towards the small cafe half a mile down the road. _So their code names are Titania and Glacier. Their description is similar to those two in the photo with me._ Lucy's hand unconsciously moves the the photo -which had been cut into three parts to separate her from it- before she quickly removed her hand from it. If they were the people in the image, it means that they'd know about her past, but would she really want to look for them? It sounded as though they still enjoyed that life, and what if it actually was photo-shopped? It did seem as though they were friends when she was in high school, if that was the case they'd probably know Levy.

Would they help her though? Who knew what had happened in the past. Plus Levy was the chief's daughter. It was highly probable that they knew who had her, but would they actually be willing to help? If so, what would they want in return? Would Lucy be able to do what they'd want? The answer was no. Unless it was something within her capability, and legal. Besides, she might not actually need to see them, after all, she'll be able to get Levy back, hopefully, tonight when she met up with this Cobra person. The blonde just prayed that this guy actually had the bluenette and wasn't just bluffing.

Taking a deep breath Lucy looked up at the Cafe's sign. 'Island 8'. She let out her held breath before pushing through the door and looking around for the two woman that had arranged the meetup. Once she spotted the two women who were grinning her way, she weaved her way towards the booth in the corner and slid in besides the brunette. "Took ya time" Fortune teller slurred as she sloshed the golden liquid in her glass around. The younger girl giggled before her clear sky blue eyes landed on the blonde.

"Been a while, Lucy! You're looking good, did you lose weight? And how tall you are now! I remember when we were the same height, how unfair!". Lucy frowned slightly at the familiar tone Animal used.

"She already knows, a lot of your friends already know because we were there when the doctors diagnosed the amnesia. Some of us thought it best that we stayed away since we didn't really want to drag you back into it. Juvia, Levy, Mira and I being the main ones, Elfman and Lisanna -the girl opposite you right now- were the only other two that supported our decision. In front of her, act like you've regained some memories. The others will want to know the report. If they believe you can't remember, they might try and take action to _make_ you" she whispered to Lucy before pulling back and adding a murmured "Names Cana" too low for Ani- _Lisanna_ to hear.

"Oh? I always thought you were slightly taller, Lisanna" Lucy smiled slightly before looking towards the brunette. Cana smirked and winked at her.

Lucy watched closely as Lisanna's eyes narrowed slightly for a split second, something she would have thought she imagined if she wasn't confident in her observation skills. Lucy felt the corners of her lips twitch suspicious of what Cana had said about 'report'. What did she mean by 'drag you back into it'? Lucy wasn't stupid, she knew that these two girls had ties to the world of crime, but how, well...that was what she wanted to know. By the sound of it, and the amount of things Cana knew, she was definitely tied tightly to a group. A high up group at that. Unless she was an undercover spy. However, it was hard to think that way as both her and Lisanna's aura was much darker than the usual persons.

"Lucy?" Cana's voice broke through the blonde's thoughts, snapping her back into reality.

"Huh?" Lucy turned to face the brunette only to tense up as she felt the girl's hands cup her chest. Before words could form the blonde felt her face heat up as her mouth gaped open.

"W-w-wha-"

"As I thought! Her boobs have grown even bigger~!" Cana sung as she smirked towards Lisanna, whose face matched Lucy's.

"C-cana! Stop it!" She hissed before looking apologetically towards Lucy who sat frozen.

"Ahh, guess she'll never change right? But you're so different now! Usually you wouldn't be phased, or you'd punch them, especially if it was Natsu!" Lisanna giggled, her eyes looking towards the window, missing the side glance from Cana and the questioning gaze of the blonde.

"Anyway, I came here because you said you had something to tell me?"

"Nope" Cana threw an arm over Lucy's shoulder and took a swig of her drink.

"Yeah.." looking away Cana sighed before glancing at the blonde and whispering "Be careful from now on, those old friends I was telling you about...the others are starting to notice things. There's also something going on, I can't mention what, but just be careful from now on. There's some...stuff that going on. Something dangerous, and, well.."

"Basically what Cana's trying to say is, there's some shit going down in the underworld, stuff that you wouldn't want to stumble into." Lisanna leaned forwards, her soft features turning hard, "So try and keep out of it. We didn't fight for your freedom for no reason." Lucy watched as Lisanna zoned in on her cheekbone. "That bruise is gonna be nasty. You might want to get home and sort out that scratch, too. So hurry home before it gets dark." Cana nodded in agreement.  
"Do _not_ leave your house either".

After Cana and Lisanna had warned her about the movement of the crime world, they still knew Lucy wouldn't listen. Instead they changed the subject of conversation to a light one, until an hour had passed and the sun began to fade. At this point the girls began to leave before going separate ways.

Cana watched as Lucy's figure faded out of sight in the direction of the blonde's apartment before she turned towards Lisanna. The white haired girl sighed before looking towards the sky. "You know, Natsu and Erza are going to bleed us alive if they ever find out that we're trying to keep her away". Cana sighed as she began to walk towards the base that stood near the center of the town.

"That's why you're not going to mention anything about her. Got it?"

"I can promise not to mention our meet ups, but they're starting to notice" Lisanna muttered before she stopped, her head facing towards to floor. "Especially more so now that Juvia's missing from the base. Besides, it's not like they won't find out about what you've been doing. They had _Levy_ following her for god sake Cana! Not to mention the fact that Laxus and Loke have been suspicious with you after you kept fucking off to who knows whe-"

"Shut up. I know what I'm doing. I'm doing this for them. I don't want to. You know I'd never do anything to betray the guys." Cana sighed before tensing her jaw and clenched her hands. "I wanted her to stay away just as much as Levy and Cana, but orders are orders. I went out of my way to get that damn message from Cobra-"

"You spoke with Cobra?! Are you _fucking serious?!_ Why would Natsu give that order? It's was his damn group that took _her._ You're telling me that you went there on _orders_ and didn't bring her back?" Lisanna hissed as she took a step towards the brunette. Looking away Cana relaxed.

"It's not mission to get her back. Boss asked for a certain 'Bunny' to do that. I just gave the girl what she needed. Now all I can do is hope she remembers soon and runs". Lisanna froze up.

"Shit. Does Mira know? There's no way she'd agr-"

"She knows. Things have changed, Lis. Don't you miss her, too?".

"Of course I do, but we all made an agreement to keep her away from this shit. She managed to finally get out and start a _normal_ life. You se-" Lisanna stopped and growled before sighing and glancing away once she saw the hurt that crossed her partners face. "So..he's finally decided then? There's nothing we can do".

"She's the only one that can get her back without conflict. She's the only one that can make the deal without a problem, after all. Cobra wants his files deleted from the crime records, in return he'll give us Juvia back". Lisanna chewed on the inside of her cheek as she followed behind the, once again, walking Cana.

"Why didn't he choose Freed or Levy? Isn't Levy better for this plan?" Cana shrugged before scratching the back of her neck as they turned onto the street of their base.

"Probably, but Levy hasn't been hacking for as long as Lucy, and Freed is only good at planting evidence on someone else, plus if they worked together it would take a while. Those two don't get along very well, and they're both busy with other stuff recently. If Lucy does it, we can all focus on other things. Besides, Juvia's missed Lucy just as much as any of us". With that they made their way into the building to report their latest news.

By the time midnight closed in, Lucy was already prepared for the meet up. She had on a plain dark green tank top and a pair of black short shorts. A Holster wrapped around her waist and thighs, her Gemini pistols placed in their holder, her combat knife 'Cancer' that held the constellation's symbol hidden in the compartment underneath her right pistol 'Mini'. She shoved her feet into a worn pair of mid-calf combat boots, fastening them quickly before snatching up her jacket from the hanger. She rummaged through her drawers for some black boxing tape before wrapping it around her hands. Throwing the unused tape onto the side she grabbed her keys and whip, attaching them to the belt of her holster as she made her way down to the car park out back.

Making her way towards her ninja z1000, a glossy black muscular looking bike, she shoved a helmet onto her head fore stroking along the side of it that held the name 'Capricorn' engraved in white. Lucy wasn't sure when she had bought the bike. All she knew was that it was hers and she had had it before losing her memory. Whenever she rode it she loved the feeling of the thrill and wind as it blew past her. Checking her phone for the time she stretched, loving the feeling of her joints as they clicked before jumping on the bike. She started the engine before twisting the accelerator and heading out towards the docks.

The streets were empty as Lucy rode past them. Not much activity going on. Slowing down as the lights turned red, Lucy glanced around once her bike came to a stop. She watched as someone watched her before scurrying away into the shadows that lay between the buildings. Frowning to turned back to the flashing amber light as it turned green and started up her bike again. The journey itself wasn't long, but Lucy couldn't help but noticed how silent and empty the streets were tonight. Usually there were drunkards and prostitutes littering the streets along the outskirts of the town where she passed, however, as she looked around more carefully she couldn't hear the shouting or advertising of the woman, nor the explicit language that left the alcohol-induced men. There were no gang members hanging around pestering the women, and no business men picking up any in their fancy cars.

Lucy shook her head before pulling off the main road onto the narrow cobbled ones that paved the way towards the old industrial warehouses. It took her another five minutes to find one that she was looking for. Cutting off the engine she pulled the helmet off her head and placed it on the seat. There wasn't anyone there. No silky car. No 'bodyguards'. Nothing. Checking her phone she watched at the end number changed from zero to one. So she wasn't late since she had gotten there at exactly one. She bit down on her bottom lip as she leaned back against the stationed bike. She looked around for any movement, listening in for someone coming. After a few more minutes she sighed impatiently. "You were the one who asked me to come here It's either you're already here and hiding, or I'm talking to thin air. Either come out and face me, or I'm just gonna go" The blonde waited for a response before turning around to climb back onto Capricorn.

"Still as impatient as ever. I was wondering how long you'd wait. Anyway. Here". Lucy turned to see a guy not much older than her with light brown hair and one eye closed, a large, jagged scar running vertically over it. His open and undamaged eye [A/n: okay so in the manga his eyes are black, while the anime it's purple. It's like Laxus has orange eyes in the manga but it's grey[/blue] in the anime. So I'm probably going to do a mixture to make things simpler for me, but you can feel free to imagine them with either or, okok] was dark in colour, almost black. As he got closer a purplish hue could be seen due to the light from the flickering street lamp that stood behind Lucy.

"Since you came I guess you want your friend back." The smirk across the tall man grew wider as he stopped a few feet away, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, that's the idea" Lucy snorted as she pushed herself from her bike. Looking around quickly her gaze turned back onto the brunette. "So, where is she?".

"Chilling with a friend of mine. Don't worry, she's safe" Lucy's eyes hardened as Cobra spoke, his tone dripped with dark humour, something that made Lucy feel uneasy about. "I'll return her if you do something for me in return". Lucy's face went emotionless as she let out a slight chuckle.

"Why would I? You're a criminal, I'm only here to pick up a friend".

"Because you wouldn't want that friend to be harmed. Besides, It's not like I'm asking for you to pay me or murder someone. I just want you to hack into something for me." That was something Lucy could do. She really didn't trust this guy. Something about him pricked at the back of her mind, like her brain wanted her to know about him. About something he might have done. Something that had happened, but she didn't know if it was good or bad.

"Depends on what it is."

"Criminal records. I want my file gone. Murders, everything. I want you to then hack into the National DNA database. Delete my records there".

"I'm not saying I will, but even if I do, they'll still have your DNA sample."

"So. They'll have the sample but no name to put to it."  
"What's to say they haven't got your name written on the sample?"

"Unlikely, I've got someone that works within that area. The samples tend to get destroyed, the coding and names are on the database itself." Cobra unfolded his arms and grinned again, apparently proud of himself for knowing that.

Lucy rolled her eyes and leaned back against the bike. "How do you know they're not just lying? You don't The only way you'd actually know is if you worked there or had photographic evidence. Something, I'm assuming, you don't have." Lucy watched, a smirk tugging at the edge of her lips as she watched Cobra's grin fall, his eyes unfocused as he processed what she said.

"Fine. Just delete my file on the criminal records then, including the files on the actual cases that involve me." Lucy yawned as she thought it over.

"That I can do. SInce we have a deal, bring her out".

"My pleasure" Cobra smirked as he turned his back to me and gave a signal to his friend. Lucy watched carefully as a pale, curvy woman with shoulder-length purple hair frowned as she pushes another girl in a chair towards the blonde. The blonde's brows furrowed as she watched the girl in the chair. True, she had blue hair, but it was longer and a different shade. The blue waves fell past the girl's breasts and were untame. The blue hair, both colour and the way it fell, reminded Lucy of the way water looked during a storm: Misty and fierce. The girls half-lidded eyes looked dull as the stared into nothingness, the blue that looked like they should be bright and never ending like the depths of the ocean, looked more like the unknown sea when no stars were out at night. No reflection of light, no sparkle or gloss. Just emotionless. The girls unusually pale skin that once looked like fallen snow was littered in bruises, cuts and what looked like...bite marks. Lucy, for some unknown reason, wasn't confused about why this girl wasn't Levy but rather, because she actually remembered her. Though it wasn't like she fully remembered her, more that she recognised her. The more she stared at the girl the more she got flash back of the girl's voice, random moments and jokes they had told each other. This was someone she went to highschool with. A new girl though she had once bullied Lucy, they had eventually became friend. She also remembered that the girl was obsessed with another one of their friends, a guy named Gray. Though who he was or what he looked like wasn't known. Yet. She remembered that Juvia spoke in third person and that, when her father Jude had died, Juvia and Levy had been there for her. That memory was when she was seventeen, meaning Levy had lied about them not really being friends back then. Why would Levy lie? Lucy shook her head as she reached out to touch the bluenette's face, feeling a little guilty when the girl had flinched. "J-juvia...can you hear me?". The pale girl's lips quivered but no response came. Looking up she saw the backs of the people that had returned the familiar girl to Lucy. "What did you do?!" Her scream echoed and bounced off of the abandoned warehouses, but her reply wasn't what she wanted. The deep laughter from Cobra as he disappeared into the shadows left a foul taste in Lucy's mouth and without thinking she stood up, ready to run after him. However, she didn't as she felt a dainty, cold hand wrap around her wrist. Looking down quickly, and almost giving herself whiplash, she stared into the deep blue eyes of Juvia. Kneeling down she took the bruised girls face gently in her hands. "Are you ok-"

"Lu..cy? Why...are you here? Is it...really you?" Juvia's eyes searched the blonde's face as they began to focus back into reality, a slight light re-appearing. "J-juvia thought that...you'd gone...that you'd...forgotten us".

"Shh, Juvia, don't talk okay?" Lucy frowned as she notices a small drop of blood roll from the girls popped lip, down her chin and drop off onto her ripped clothing. "Man, you look terrible...C'mon. Think you can stand?".

It took Lucy almost an hour to get Juvia on the bike. Eventually she sat herself behind the tired and fragile girl, whose body was slouched against her own, and reached over for the handle bars. It took almost three times as long for them to get back to Lucy's apartment since she went at a slower-than-usual speed so that the bluenette didn't slip off of Capricorn as she slept against the blonde. Lucky for Lucy, Juvia didn't weigh that much as she placed an arm around the girl and helped support her as they made their way to the elevator to Lucy's apartment on the sixth floor.

Dropping the girl on her bed she made her way to the bathroom to hunt down the first aid kit, and some painkillers. By the time she got back, Juvia had already fallen back asleep. Lucy smiled softly as she made her way over and set the items on the side before heading back to the bathroom for a bowl of warm water and a flannel.

Bending down over the sleeping girl, Lucy began to undress her, using scissors to cut certain part in order to not wake the poor girl up. Once done she placed the flannel into the bowl before ringing it out and wiping down the bloodstained body. Frowning as she gently ran over the multiple bruises and cuts. Lucy moved back as she assessed the pale skin. Grinding her teeth together when she noticed that most bruising took place around her wrists, ankles and thighs. There was also blood that ran down from between the girl's legs. Swallowing hard she made quick work to wipe the stains away, her fist tightening her hold as she forced her mind to push away the horrible thoughts and images of what they might have, and probably did do, to the girl. Lucy could only imagine how the girl had felt during and after that experience. She wanted to cry for her. She wanted to tell her everything would be okay. She wished she was there to stop it from happening, and more than anything, she wished she could just hurt those that done that to Juvia. Now she understood why Juvia had looked like that, why her eyes had lost their light and refused to focus on reality that was in front of her. Why she wanted to sleep. Would you want to stay awake after that? To face reality? To rethink about that experience? To remember everything? Lucy looked away as she stood up and made her way to the closet to pick out some fluffy blue pajamas to dress the girl in, unable to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes. She wanted to call up the police department and file a report, but was that what Juvia wanted? Lucy knew that there were people who didn't want to report being raped. She knew that. She also knew that she should, but unless Juvia gave her permission, would she really be able to? The answer was yes, but a part of her was saying no. Why was she at war with herself about this?

After, with much difficulty, wrapping and dressing Juvia, she threw the blanket over her before heading to the living room, closing the bedroom door behind her. How could Cobra laugh when she asked what had happened? How could anyone find that funny? No matter how much Lucy tried not to think about it, she couldn't help the questions that made their way into her mind. She couldn't help glancing at her bedroom door, or how her hands shook when she reached for the phone, only to put it back down on the coffee table again and again.

She needed to report this. She needed to help in finding the people that done this to Juvia. It was her duty and responsibility to tell the police. All she had to do was key in three numbers and wait. What if she doesn't want that? Then what? Would you make her suffer more from your own selfishness? Lucy grabbed at her hair and cried, "Shut up…" Muttering to herself she repeated that phrase. Was she being selfish when she thought about phoning the police? Could she pone the police? What if Juvia was part of the underworld and was wanted, too? Had she thought about that? No. She hadn't considered that as a possibility. Yet, that didn't help with her two-sided fight against herself. She wasn't the one that had gone through that ordeal, was it even her right to decide what happens? But, she still knew that it happened, the semen, the blood, it was all evidence that pointed towards that. She couldn't sit there while nothing happens, watching as her friend suffered, fighting her own demons. What gave Lucy the right to feel like this when it wasn't her that was suffering, it was her friend who lay asleep in the room ten metres away.

It felt like hours had past when Lucy first began to feel her eyelids grow heavy. It had taken only moments after for Lucy to fall sideways and drift off, tears still glistening on her eyelashes as she murmured nonsense to herself.

"I'm sorry, Lucy" Juvia whispered as moved around from the back of the couch to dispose of the small needle in her hand.


	4. Caught Ya

**Chapter Four: "Caught Ya"**

 _A young Lucy ran through the the abandoned house. Her throat and lungs burned from the sheer amount of stress placed on them. She had been running at a sprint for almost twenty minutes and she wasn't sure how long she could keep it up, not to mention that she was thankful to the miracle of her being able to run this long. Her legs had long since began to ache and wobble, causing her to lose her footing as she stumbled forwards. The footsteps behind her began to draw closer, echoing through the empty space. Crashing into the door she groaned and cursed under her breath. "Shit. It's locked!" she quickly took in her surroundings. The only other escape option was the window since she could hear the others approaching. Either that or she could face the possibility of being captured by them again while trying to kick the door off its hinges. No. She had to leave. Now. After a moment her jelly-like legs began to make their way towards the window. Locked. Again._

 _"Find that fucking bitch, she thinks she can fucking run away from me?!" the familiar, enraged voice of the guy that claimed to 'own' her bounced off the walls, causing her heart to throb even more violently, the pulse ringing louder in her ears._ No! Please just...leave me alone! _Her voice repeated the same sentence like a prayer in her mind as she punched against the glass. She had to break it._

 _"Over here! I can hear something!" the voice of a different male, slightly deeper than the previous, rang out. She turned around in their direction before panicking even more. She didn't want to go back. She began to punch harder. Again and again. Over and over until, finally, the window began to crack. The footsteps weren't far now. With two last punches her hand finally went through. Bringing her injured leg up, since she wouldn't be able to balance on it, she quickly made the break big enough for her to fit through._

 _"Found ya, blondie. Where'd ya think you're going?" she clenched her teeth as she turned around. Golden honey-brown eyes met onyx as she stared her pink haired 'lover' in the face. Her heart ached slightly. She really did love him, but she had to escape. She had to leave. After all, she couldn't do this no more, she wanted out. She never wanted any of this to begin with! The pinkette raised a delicate brow "Well? Get the fuck over here". When she didn't reply he began to pace towards her. "You deaf? You fucking belong to me, so get. the fuck. over here, now you fucking slut". Looking away she decided then and there what she already knew. He didn't care about her. He never had. And so with one last glare she ducked out of the broken window, clenching her jaw and letting the tears run down her cheeks as she scaled down the fire escape. Blood trailing behind her from the broken glass that embedded themselves within her._

 _Instead of following, the pinkette growled, jaw tense and teeth on show in a scowl. She had left him. Again. Running a hand through his hair he clenched it and pulled at his messy locks. "Shit". He watched as the rising sun shine off of her golden locks. "LUCY!" He roared as loudly as possible as he made his way out onto the metal escape. Why did she want to leave him so badly? Didn't she care how it affected him?_

 _Sighing before turning around, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and smirked, glancing towards the blood she left behind. "Don't worry, Luce. I'll get you back again. And when that time comes, you won't be escaping. I'll chain you up and lock you away if I have to"._

As the months passed, he still watched her from afar. Though it took a week or two to track her down. They only managed to find her after she ended up in that motorbike accident. After she was told she had amnesia. He watched even when the others told him to forget it. He still watched _her_ even though _she had left and forgot about him_.

Watched as they rose from a mere gang to a notorious mafia. Watched as his blonde lover joined forces with their enemy. Watched as Levy and Cana met up with her behind his back.

He'll get her back. Thats why he told Cobra and Juvia to do what they did.

"Boss, I-" the pinkette grinned, his sharp canines on show as he walked over to the bluenette as she slammed open his office door.

"You did well, Juvia" he stared behind her at the raven haired guy who stood half dressed with a certain blonde beauty over his shoulder, unconscious. He walked over to her, one hand in his pocket while the other began to loosen his tie. "I told you, sweetheart, that I'd capture you again". Chuckling a little he nodded towards the dark haired male before pointing behind him with his thumb. "You know what to do, Gray. Juvia, get Mira and Erza. You three get her...comfortable" with that he walked back to his desk and looked down at his files. Listening as the footsteps of his members faded.

Sighed her linked his hands, elbows propped up on the mahogany wood and his brows furrowed. "Please, stop trying to run away from me, Luce. Can't you see how much I love you?" he knew she couldn't hear him. That didn't mean he couldn't say it. He loved her. He had for a while, but whenever she tried to escape it fucking hurt. God, it hurt so bad. That's why he had hurt her. He didn't want to do it. She just made him.

It wasn't always him though. She hurt him physically, too. Thinking this he remembered the scar on his neck that she had given him on the night that she had ran from him. The last night he had held her before she fucked off for so long.

Why did she hate him so much?

How could he show her how much he wanted her?

How addicting she was to him?

If she still refused to see, then he'll just have to make her. He'll break that shitty little pride of hers. Make her beg for his love. Make it so she only knows him. So she only _feels him_. Even if he has to force it on her, she'll want him just as much as he wants her.

But for some reason, the thought of forcing her to feel that way didn't satisfy him. Of course he wants her to feel the same way. He wants them to go back to how they were before it went to shit. Before all the fights and accusations. But they couldn't, could they? Of course not, there'd still be cracks and wrinkles. Right?

He sighed before leaning back. His head tipped so that he could stare at the white ceiling as he contemplated what to do. What could he do? He just didn't know. Yes, he had her back...but now what? What'll happen when she woke up? Not to mention that she doesn't remember anything? Did that mean they had a chance to start from the beginning? God, he hoped so, but what would happen if she started to remember? Then what? He shook his head and groaned.

 _Why was everything so complicated?!_

He kept thinking and re-thinking over his various plans. However, none of them gave him the satisfaction that he wanted. That he _needed_. He had to remind her some way. Remind her of her past. To _make_ her remember. "Natsu, stop stressing out". The stern tone of the scarlet haired beauty pulled him from his frustrating thoughts.

"Erza." He acknowledged before breathing out a heavy sigh. His brows still furrowed. "I don't understand. I've wanted this, wanted her back, for so long. Yet I just...it just doesn't..." Erza sighed and nodded softly before sitting in the chair opposite him.

"I know. We've all missed her in some way, even if some of us wanted her to be happy and safe away from us, they still wanted her back. But maybe it's because you basically dragged her here again..." Erza looked away, worrying her bottom lip as her eyes narrowed in thought Then she grinned and chuckled slightly. "How about we leave a little mark on Miss Heartfilia before sending her home, you know, for her to wake up to?" Natsu growled slightly at the remark.

"You mean we just let her go? _Again?!"_ he felt his blood heat up from anger at the very thought of letting his Lucy go again. No. The very idea was out of question. Though..the idea of branding her with their mark was tempting. Erza rolled her eyes before shaking her head softly.

"That's not what I meant at all, boss. What I'm saying is simple. Why not mark her with our symbol. Pique her interest. That way...she'll come to us". Natsu thought it over. It was logical and certainly something she'd do. After all, she was a curious person and often got herself into trouble due to her curiosity. If something grabbed her attention, then she was sure to go there. It was exactly what he wanted. For _her_ to come to _him_. he couldn't help but smile at the though, snickering under his breath.

"Perfect".


	5. Deja Vu

**Chapter Five: Deja Vu**

All Lucy knew was that she felt groggy and that her right hand _hurt_. Really hurt. Like, it was throbbing, and that just felt awkward in a way that she just couldn't wrap her head around or even make sense of. Did that even make any sense? Probably not, but at least she knew what she was on about, right? And there was something, some kind of material, scratching against it in a horrible way that made her want to grind her teeth. It was almost like she had a...burn...on her hand. Though she couldn't remember actually ever burning it. Heck, she could barely remember what she was doing before falling asleep, though the 'falling asleep' part was a mystery to her...after all...when did she fall asleep? What's more, it didn't feel like she was on the couch either, which she was certain she had occupied that night since her friend- Juvia!

Grunting, eyes scrunching a little before opening up slightly, only to blink a few times from the light streaming in from the window to her left, Lucy began to sit up and look around. She was laying under the thin covers of her bed, which she was positive had been used by a certain bluenette the night before.

"Ju-" Her voice felt rough and her throat dry. Coughing a little to clear it, she began again. "Juvia?" The blonde yawned, scratching the back of her bed-head before removing the sheets from herself. Her bare feet padding against the plush carpet as she looked around her apartment before frowning and heading for the toilet. Strange...she could have sworn the blue-haired girl had stayed that night, and she vividly remembered wiping said girl down. Maybe it was just a dream? Or better, a memory? Then again, she only recently bought this apartment less than six months ago, there was no way it could have been a memory? Perhaps it was a memory that was mixed with a dream? She shook her head. No, that didn't seem right either.

Flushing the toilet she moved towards the mirror, staring at her reflection whilst turning on the hot water tap to wash her hands. Sighing deeply she turned her focus towards her hands before tensing. Her right hand, the one that had been feeling awfully irritated that morning -though she had forgotten once she 'remembered' her 'guest'- was wrapped up in a bandage. A shitty job at that. She felt her lips twitch at the sight of it. Something about the poor job was familiar to her " _Be careful Luce."_ A soft voice echoed around her, causing a horrible throb in her head.

"Argh" She hissed, closing her eyes and placing a hand to the area just above her left brow. At that moment another throb took place, this one much stronger than the last causing her eyes to fly open and connect with the brown orbs that stared at her in the mirror. However, instead of seeing her reflection, someone else's had taken her place. A guy around nineteen stood there, a plaid shirt unbuttoned and flowing freely, his hands shoved carelessly into his dark denim bottoms that hung dangerously low on his hips, a cocky smirk playing on his lips while his head was tipped back a little giving the appearance of him looking down on those that stood before him, on Lucy herself. He wore a dirty white scarf around his neck, the frayed ending dangling over his well-defined, tanned chest. Lucy eyes took in the details of his features. The way his muscles moved as he did, the way his lips curved slightly so that his smirk started to look more like a snarl the longer you stared, the way his perfectly straight nose scrunched the tiniest bit that one wouldn't notice unless up close, the slight flush to his cheekbones as he continued to face her. Then there were his eyes. Those cold, familiar eyes that she was sure were the same ones that had haunted her shortly after her accident. Green eyes that cut through her, yet they were so dark they looked like an endless pit. At first she was so sure they were black, yet over the weeks she began to notice the jade tint. His eyes narrowed slightly onto her as he reached up and ran a hand through his cherry-blossom locks. She knew this guy. She knew him like she knew her own features. The question was, how did she know him? What was his name? Where was he? Her heart thumped rapidly the longer she stared at him, not daring to blink because she knew he'd be gone once her eyes opened again. His name was at the tip of her tongue, and yet her mind refused to acknowledge it, her mouth refused to move and the words refused to form. She swallowed down the lump that had began to form. How long had she stared for? She wasn't sure but she knew it hadn't been long since the water was only just beginning to warm up. So a few seconds she estimates. After another moment or two she looks away. Not remembering the guy she saw was starting to annoy the hell out of her. She knew it was going to continue bugging her the entire day too if she continues to focus on it. Instead she looks down to the wrapped hand and grips the end of the bandage, slowly unwrapping it.

Her eyes widen as the cloth falls to the ground, her body felt stiff and her chest tight The all-too-famous symbol that began to scar on her skin made the air leave her lungs shakily. Why was this branded on her hand? She couldn't do anything more than look over it. The burnt flesh was at least a week old as it had already began to scar, leaving a thin, pink mark behind. How bad had the scar originally been for it to still be slightly black in areas? For the new, freshly grown skin to still appear so thin that she could still see some of her raw muscle underneath the more transparent-looking areas? How long had she actually slept for? Or had she lost some of her memories again? Did she suffer from another blackout? When...had this…

Taking in a deep breath, she reached out and steadied herself, her hands gripping the edge of her sink like a life support. How...what had happened? All she could remember was sitting on the couch, whether or not it had actually happened was now beyond her, but she remembered sitting there and worrying over a woman named Juvia that she believed was a friend from prior to the accident that had caused her to lose her memories, and now she was here, in her bathroom, unsure on whether her sanity was still in tact or if she could no longer tell the difference between reality and imagination. While her mind went over all of this, she had begun to hyperventilate. Was she getting confused? Rewriting her memories or just completely making up new ones without realising it? She wasn't sure anymore. Could she trust her mind? Her memories?

She was beginning to lose feeling in her face, the tingling sensation taking over in her cheeks and fingers. She hated when this happened, hated the feeling of not being in control. Her grip became weaker and she began to lower herself to the floor. Wrapping her arms around herself as her breathing became erratic, her heart pounding and her eyes scrunched. "Deep breaths" that was all she could tell herself in hopes that it may help. It wasn't working. She began tapping her shaking fingers against her arm, taking in deep, shaky breaths before exhaling for twice as long. The tingling sensation still tormenting her to a point where she began to tap on her cheeks. Each time her hands connected with the soft skin, the force behind it became stronger, unbeknownst to her since she couldn't feel it. She hated this. Weren't her meds supposed to prevent this? Why weren't they working? This was why she didn't want to take them. They didn't help. They only made her feel more abnormal. She'd just have to wait it out. "Tick, tock, tick, tock." She repeated, under her breath. Counting never worked, but sometimes the sound of a clock made it slightly more bearable. Only slightly. She felt less alone when there was a form of noise around her, and the ticking sound allowed her to feel as though she was still there in a way. Helped her feel as though time hadn't stopped. After all, she couldn't count, so she was never sure how long it lasted, and it always varied anyway, but the sound of the hands moving had always made it seem as though it was going to be over sooner. Either way, it helped her. It was either that or the sound of her raspy breaths, and she'd take the ticking over that any day since it always sounded like she couldn't breathe, which she felt like she couldn't, so instead of panicking more due to that thought, she'd distract herself.

Her thoughts circled around the noise of the clock that she made. Repeating the reasoning behind why she makes said noise. Repeating how this will end shortly, She hated this.

She was repeating herself again.

This always happened.

The repeating of the same sentenced.

The thoughts of how she hated it all.

Why did she always repeat the same things?

Over and over.

And over.

And over, again.

She was lost within this process she hadn't realised that her fingers had stopped tapping. That her nails of her right hand dug deeply into her skin, leaving crescent-moon shapes, which her left was at her mouth, her teeth clenching down on her index finger, leaving impressions that would soon turn dark before looking like blood-blisters. She hadn't even noticed she had began to rock slightly from side to side, her head moving in the same motion only more exaggeratingly. She knew everyone felt this differently, that some people act out more than others. That didn't mean it soothed her in anyway. It only made her feel worse. How long was this going to go on for? Her throat was already dry and now it began to feel raw. As in, someone had been scratching away at it with sandpaper, raw.

The taste of iron touched the tip of her tongue, causing her to come back to reality slightly as she looked at her left hand. The finger she had subconsciously been biting on had been cut due to the sheer pressure of her jaw, causing it to bleed a little. "Shit" she muttered unenthusiastically before sighing and releasing the death grip her right hand had had on her left arm. Her eyes slid down to the insignia that was now burnt, and scarred, on the back of her hand as it lay loosely in the crease of her elbow. Why was it on her? Was it a warning because she had been looking into them? Her jaw clenched again, though the teeth made contact with each other rather than her own skin this time.

"If you think doing this was going to stop me, then you're sadly mistaken." her breathing began to even out the more confident and focused she became. She didn't have time to sink into herself when Levy was still out there. She needed to find them and find Levy. "And I will." She stood up, her eyes cold and hard as she came face to face with the mirror again, her eyes glued to the mark on her hand as it gripped the white edge. "All I need to do now...is figure out where you're hiding" Her eyes snapped to the Chocolate and honey-flecked eyes that stared back in the reflection " _Fairy Tail"._ A sly smirk tugged the left corner of her mouth up.

Natsu couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he leaned back in his chair, his fingers stroking across the soft jaw of the woman that sat on his lap facing him. He closed his eyes, tilting his head towards the ceiling as the white-haired girl's hands trailed over his chest, sliding underneath his suit jacket and pushing it a little off of his shoulders. He'd never usually waste his time like this, especially when all he's been thinking about lately was Lucy, but it had been a little while since he had been lost in pleasure like this. And his hormones were definitely getting to him recently. He groaned as the woman rolled her hips against his, her voice crying out in bliss. His jaw tensed as his hands gripped onto her hips, pulling her closer as he pushed his hips against hers once more. "Ah!...Natsu! Mmm" The white-haired beauty above him mewled as his erection hardened against the cloth of his pants. " _Yes!_ " She hissed as his left hand removed itself from her hip, stroking upwards and ghosting across the side of her breast before gropping it roughly. Natsu groaned a little under his breath before nipping at the delicate, pale skin of her neck. His eyes closed as he imagined the blonde that had haunted him since he first laid eyes on her all those years ago. The girls breasts where by no means the same, not even close, but at least she had hips and an arse that was similar. He could work with that. What he couldn't work with was the annoying sounds she was making. It just wasn't his Luce's voice. It was easy to imagine Lucy riding above him, after all, he has done it many times before, but as soon as moans escaped past the girl's lips… he just wanted to strangle her and tell her to _shut the fuck up_. Honestly, he was sure his pained expression and the fact that he's only just -barely mind you- managed to get hard after doing this for almost thirty _fucking_ _minutes!_ He'd of given up too if it wasn't for the fact that his arm still ached from his ' _sessions'_ these previous few nights. Ever since he laid his eyes on Lucy's form over a week ago. "Shit" He hissed as the woman, whose lips now nibbled on his lobe, groaned once more. He couldn't do this anymore. How did she not know that her fucking moaning was such a turn off to him? Hadn't he made that clear enough? He couldn't do this, as much as his horny arse wanted to just fucking _fuck_ something -preferably Lucy- he just couldn't since he knew he'd just be disappointed. Again.

Growling to himself he pushed the curvy girl off of him, sitting up a little and straightening up his clothes. "N-natsu?" The brilliant blue eyes of the white-haired female shone with confusion and slight annoyance. He scowled before turning his head the slightest bit to face her.

"What?" The fair-haired woman stood up, fixing her bra and top before running her hands through her short hair.

"Wha-"

"Not in the mood anymore." She huffed before folding her arms, eyes rolling.

"Oh? Weren't you the one that asked for this though? I had to tell Bixlow to move our date to next week because of your fucking hormones and this is the treatment and thanks I get? Why the fuck get me all hot and bothered Unless…" Her eyes widened before a dark grin settled on her face. "Ah...I get it...this about Lu-"

"Fuck off Lisanna. Your... _Services_ , aren't needed anymore. Besides, didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up and stay quiet when we have sex? We've done it more than a few times over the past year for you to know that your voice is a fucking turn off" Natsu bared his teeth like a wild dog as he growled at her, his voice low and husky. Lisanna raised her eyebrows at her childhood friend before scowling back at him.

" _Excuse_ me? You should be thankful I even do this shit for you considering iI don't like it either! You think I want to be _fucking_ my boss who only ever imagines one of my best friends? Listen, Pal, I admit we used to do this shit a lot before little miss Lucy came along" Natsu growled at the mention of the blonde's name as it passed the girls plump lips "But that changed when she came into the picture. I finally got to stop being your little fucking slut and you actually fell in love! You think I wanted all this to start again? I was happy for you two and was bettin' on you guys getting hitched! Then what happens, huh?! You decide to go fucking weird, start being abusive and acting possessive and paranoid as shit towards Lu, and now look!" Lisanna was yelling at this point. Her arms waving about and making her look like a mad woman. She hated the fact that Natsu was using her again. Even more so now because she was in love with someone and because of this pink-haired dolt, she couldn't be with the guy! Not just that but he was playing fucking victim after everything he had put her friend through!? Uh, no. Fucking. Way. So yeah, she was pissed off. Quite a bit, too. However, a part of her was way too happy so she couldn't help the smile that threatened the corners of her lips after she stormed out of his office. She had wanted Lucy to be safe away from them once she had escaped, but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't miss the blonde's crazy personality. She was wishing the girl came back, not just because then she'd be able to finally have Natsu off of her and can run into Bixlow's arms and, hopefully, make out and become official, but also because they all missed her, especially Erza, gray, Levy and herself. "She'll definitely come back to us" Lisanna muttered as she walked towards the main room at the opposite end of Natsu's office corridor on the top floor of the building. "She will". Lisana felt her heart speed up a little in excitement at the thought of seeing her gorgeous best friend. "And this time, Natsu better not fuck up" Her sweet voice turned deadly as she reached out for the handle.

"Oh, he won't" Lisanna jumped before sighing in relief, turning to face the redhead that stood behind her, her hands placed delicately on her hips. "I'll make sure of that" the scarlet haired criminal winked, chuckling slightly before pushing Lisanna into the room first. "So for now, all we need to do is wait" . With that the heavy oak door slammed shut behind them.


	6. The Mistake

**Chapter Six: The Mistake.**

It had been exactly a year since Levy's disappearance.

Lucy still looked into finding out more on the dangerous mafia whose insignia was scarred into the back of her right hand. However, not much could be found. Something she had expected from the top mafia of Fiore, but that didn't mean she was going to give up. She'd never give up until she got her friend back.

It had only been six months since she was allowed back on the force, though they continued to keep her off the case. That just meant she had more spare time. Spare time she used either looking for information on Fairy tail, or working with Jason on the 'Sorcerer's Weekly' magazine -she still needed money for rent and food!

Being a reporter for the magazine, as well as Jason's assistant -as he liked to call her, she was actually meant to be his partner- meant that she still managed to stay in the loop of what was going on with the gangs and criminals of Fiore. Why? Simple, Jason was in the same boat as her. He was a repoter part-time for both the magazine and the police department. He wanted on the case and was denied, though his reasoning was far different from her own.

Lucy and another detective, Doranbolt -A name he chose himself, no one really knows his real name, or where he actually came from apart from the Chief- were the only ones who hadn't gave up hope on Levy's case. Even her own father had given up finding her, saying they had a better chance looking for a body in a ditch than finding the petite bluenette alive and breathing. That had pissed Lucy off. Causing her to be removed as anything but an evidence reporter for a whole month and a week. Chief McGarden had gotten even less patient over the past year towards Lucy, and much more overbearing. Was it because she was Levy's friend? Or because she was the same age? She didn't really understand, but she knew the look he had in his eyes whenever he'd so much as see the blonde. Her dad had wore that look many times after her mum died. Before he had given her up to a care home. The look of pain and hurt. She knew she was reminding the forty-six year old chief of his daughter, like how he had reminded her own dad of her deceased mother.

Lucy sighed as she switched on the television, sitting down on the couch reading over some documents on the recent murder of a woman named Sorano. Sorano was in her late twenties. Silver-white hair that she usually wore down and often wore feather-like clothing that left barely anything to the imagination. A model, similar to the others before her -Karen, Minerva and Jackal [the only male to have been killed so far]. Just like the others, she, too, had a dark past that she had never actually left behind.

Part of a gang at thirteen.

Said gang had become one of the top ten mafia's of Fiore. Oracion Seis.

Lucy bit her lip and leaned forwards. It was the exact same as the others. Karen being a part of Lamia Scale mafia. Jackal, Tartaros. Minerva, Sabertooth. Lucy reached for the remote to turn down the volume as her eyes continued to read the words in front of her until she looked up at the screen.

She froze before increasing it up instead.

" _-The group known as 'Fairy Tail' has once again struck. More than 10,000 casualties. Not much is known about this underworld gang except that they are currently the number one most wanted mafia. Police officers advise that the people of Magnolia to be wary when out and about until they find the members and put them away. For the safety of the public this announcement has been made."_ the scene changed to show Doranbolt, the lead detective and head of the homicide and serious crime department, stood holding an Image of a handsome, pink-haired man who was smirking, the photo was blurred slightly probably taken from a passer by or a paparazzi who tried to take the picture and get as far away as possible. " _This is Natsu Dragneel, leader of this deadly group. He's ruthless, merciless and smart. If you've seen him please do **not** approach him. He is a known pyromaniac. If seen, please phone this number" _ a number appeared at the bottom of the screen with some details of said criminal: Height: Six foot one.

Hair colour: Pink.

Eye colour: dark forest green, almost black.

Muscular, but lean. Tanned skin tone. So on so forth.

Lucy sighed and turned off the television, it was all things that she already knew. Even the explosion wasn't new news in the department, judging that they hadn't been far from the scene when it had taken place. Where it had taken place and the time it had happened was almost like the criminal's were taunting the police force.

She closed her eyes and lay back against the couch cushions. Seconds later her phone rang. Unknown number. Again. She was honestly debating whether to even answer. Especially since she's been getting them for weeks now and whenever she did answer it was always silent on the other end, well, almost always; half the time, meaning over the past few days, it always sounded like people having sex on the other end, making her want to cringe and vomit at it. Some nasty, creepy people out there. Wasn't the first time it had happened though.

Wait...wasn't it? No...it wasn't...she could remember that much...it had happened before...at least she thinks it had, when she was around seventeen. Her head was beginning to throb. Why did that actually bring on a memory? Was it similar to a cue? She read once that cue's can help with memories, cue's like posters, or smells that are similar to when the memory had been made. Even though her head was starting to pound, and the ringtone of her phone was irritating, she didn't want the flash back to end. She had started remembering bits every so often, a lot of times when she was asleep, but it had been months since she last had a flashback, she was starting to believe that her memories weren't coming back anymore.

Her phone stopped ringing and Lucy sighed, the pain beginning to fade slightly, though the throbbing continued. She was definitely getting a headache. Standing up, she stretched out and went to the kitchen, scavenging through her drawers for some paracetamol before taking a glass and filling it with some milk. After she knocked back the tablets and drink she walked back into the living room, her phone ringing again. Unknown number. "Geez, you just don't give up" She murmured before snatching the phone off of the coffee table and answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Lucy? Is that you?"

"Oh, hey Jason, what's up? How long were you trying to get in contact with me?" Lucy frowned, maybe it was just Jason calling since yesterday, after all, she had been refusing to pick up for almost forty-eight hours now, unless they were in her contacts or a number appeared.

"I haven't...I only just rang, I'm in a phone booth at the moment my phone died not long ago and I can't seem to find my charger...why? Is everything okay?"

Lucy bit down on her bottom lip, eyes trailing to her window. "It's alright, just some creeper ringing me since this morning" she lied.  
"Oh...have you told the department or rang your network to block the number? Oh...I guess he wasn't leaving one...sorry Lucy, you going to be alright?"

"Yeah" she nodded, more to herself since he obviously wouldn't see it.

"Okay...well, I just got a great idea for a new article! It's going to be so COOL!". She rolled her eyes. _Here we go again. Bet it's a stupid idea at that, too._

Moving around the table, she picked up the Sorano case documents and moved them into the 'study room' before unlocking the bottom desk drawer and removing a different folder. She looked down at the information she had managed to gather on the infamous 'Fairy Tail' group, up to now the written information wasn't close to enough. Barely a page on each of the various members that the woman had managed to gather anything on. The blonde had a few sketches of each member that she'd been able to find out about as well as the odd bits of details she managed to come across. In all honesty, as insane and completely reckless as it seems, since Levy had been 'abducted' she'd been trying to look into the group. Even more so after she woke up to find out she had been out like a light for days, with their damn mark on her hand! The part-time investigative reporter -and officially: detective apprentice, yes she finally managed to get the position!- really wanted to gather more information on them and maybe even figure out their location. Or Levy's location.

"Lucy? You still there?"

"Huh? Y- yeah, anyway you were saying?"

"Oh cool! So yeah, I was thinking, why not do an article on that new singer? Or maybe even interview some of the witnesses of the recent bomb-attack that took place earlier today?".

"Orr.. how about we do both? I could talk to the witnesses and arrange a time for you to see the new singer 'Bora' I got told that he's a major flirt, so if I went we wouldn't get far with the interview". Jason paused for a moment.

"That's a cool idea! Okay, so when can you start?" I looked over at the clock, it was already 8 p.m. "Tomorrow, around 11, I'll ring Bora's manager now though, to sort out a date" I sighed softly.

"Cool! Thanks, Lucy! I'll talk to you again later"

"Sure thing, I'll send you the details of the interview date, see you" and with that she ended the call.

Sighing she rubbed a hand down her face. At least Jason was allowing her to interview the witnesses, could be a breakthrough for her if any of them had actually spotted any hit-men. Or something that wasn't about the attack. Not that any of the bombings' details wouldn't help, it's just that it wouldn't be useful to _her_ personal investigation.

Sighing, she picked up her phone, dialling the number for Bora's manager.

"Hey, Lucy Heartfilia here, from Sorcerer's Weekly…"

It hadn't taken long for the 'bubbly' and 'enthusiastic' magazine reporter to book a date with Simon, the manager of Bora. In fact, the middle aged man was over-the-moon about his singer getting a call for an interview from "The best magazine out there!" as he had put it. Apparently Bora had been pestering the poor guy for three weeks now to get him a place in the magazine. Lucy chuckled slightly, from both how awkward and fast paced that conversation had been, and also from relief, since she wasn't the one doing the interview. _R.I.P Jason. May all of my sympathy be with you!_ Speaking of Jason...Lucy began to send a text to Jason, before remembering that his phone was pretty much non-existent since he had lost his charger, and backspaced before opening up her messenger app. The little green dot next to his name made her laugh slightly. Of course he was still on, he'd be waiting for the details of the meetup.

 _12:30, over lunch at Crocus Hotel. Don't be late! They're just as enthusiastic about it as you are. Have fun!_

She sent the message before locking her phone and moving to go over the information she had gathered. She knew the group had their base somewhere in Magnolia. How? Simple, they were always spotted around this town, their crimes pretty much local nowadays, though a few had been directed in different towns, however, they were always directed to other Mafia's. So why were they attacking their own town? No one knew. Not even her. All she knew was that they didn't care whether anyone got hurt or everyone was fine afterwards, meaning they weren't aimed at the people who were around. It seemed more like they were trying to attract attention. Why though? They were usually quiet. Not bothering with those outside of the underworld. That's why Lucy was beginning to theorise that they were doing this to get attention from someone. The police? Or maybe they just wanted the media's attention? It was a quick and easy way of spreading fear, uncertainty and panic, causing a lot of chaos and anxiety. Or was it a warning to other gangs in the area? Seemed possible, but why would the country's most feared Mafia be threatened by lowly gangs? She couldn't help but be curious.

And you know what they say about curious cats.

It gets them killed.


	7. Reality or Insanity

**A/n: Guest: Ahh I don't really mind about views, as long as people like the story then I'll keep going! Aha and thankyousomuch!**

 **Celestial War101: He doesn't, but Erza convinced him, after all, she ran away and as Erza said, he'd rather her come to him than him just trying to capture her again, she might try to escape ;D**

 **Found a new song for my soundtrack that I've been addicted to and believe goes really well for this story especially this chapter and the next one [maybe two], it's a nightcore mashup of faded and heathens. Why do I think it goes well? Easy, 'faded' is about this Lucy, oblivious and unaware of her past, and the 'locked away' past Lucy, the murderous one, is heathens. Telling her that she doesn't know half of the abuse and to 'take it slow' and that she tried to 'warn' her about the others, trying to keep her away from it all, from her friends. So you get it? Anyway, you guys should check it out! [Thinking about doing an Amv for tokyo ghoul for heathens soon, not sure yet though, done a few Fairy Tail ones if you're interested? Might leave my channel on here next chapter, not sure yet]. ANYWAYS! On with the story!**

 **Chapter Seven ; Reality or Insanity?**

Lucy made her way out towards the cafe on the corner, over the road from her apartment. Recently she had begun to feel lost. She felt like a headless chicken running around in circles looking for these damn thugs, while a part of her felt like there was something nagging at the back of her mind, telling her or warning her about something. What that may be, she had no idea. She felt her eyes burn with each blink she took, dark bags beginning to form under her eyes. Lack of sleep, and not just due to her missing friend or the stress of the gang that was out there. She was starting to suffer from night terrors again. Each one felt more and more realistic. She felt...so lost in each and every one. When she woke up she could still feel the fear wrapping itself around her. It was like the nightmares were taunting her, making fun at the fact that she had no memories. They felt like they were real at the time. It was starting to convince her that she may have actually lived through all of that, like that small voice inside her head told her. Then, those people during the dreams, the ones she called 'friends' where were they now? Now that she was awake and wondering around clueless, they must have seen her at least once or so? Must've known she was alive and not dead, right?

Why hadn't any of her memories came back yet? They should've already started to come back right? In movies and novels, they always regained their memories after so many weeks...why couldn't her life be like those? Each day it felt like her memories were fading more and more...and the possibility of never regaining her memories constantly dawned on her.

 _ **Don't rush it. Take your time.**_ That voice again. Lucy groaned. She hated this twisted voice of hers. At least it wasn't being horrible again. Lucy closed her dry eyes as she scooted into a booth at her favourite cafe, resting her head in her hands, her face turned down towards the table. Behind the darkness of her eyes, her mind drifted to the voice, her imagination showing an imagine of a younger version of herself, bruises covering her pale arms and neck, looking too similar to a hand print wrapped around it, her right, chocolate brown-honey eye and her cheekbone. Her plump, chapped lips split and bleeding at the top. The image itself was enough to make the blonde feel creeped out. Who wouldn't be? Imagining yourself like that?! Maybe there really was something wrong with her. The thought caused the younger blonde to snort, her head lifting so her gaze met the older Lucy's. She wore a pair of black, denim booty shorts, ripped fishnet tights with knee high black socks, and old pair of mid-calf new rock boots and a loose 'iron-maiden: Number of the beast' tank top -the sleeves had been ripped off- her blonde hair was in the two low-pigtails that she had worn when her hair was shorter, tied with red ribbons.

 _ **Trust me. Those memories… once you remember them you'd have wished you hadn't.**_ The younger, shorter (by maybe an inch) girl stood up, dusting off herself as she began to close in on Lucy. She was just out of reaching distance when a jingling sound echoed, causing the illusion to curse, trying to pull her foot to put it forwards. Lucy looked at the girl, her eyes travelling down the the chain on the her ankle. As she looked back up she noticed the bars that stood between her and the chained girl, a sly grin forming on the caged girls face. _**You think this'll keep you safe? I can smell your fear from here.**_ She gulped and took a step backwards. Causing the girl's eyes to widen more in amusement. Her hands snaking sound the bars as she tilted her head and pressed against them further. _**These bars won't keep me here forever. Especially not once your memories come back. Heck...with you going after the people who fucked us up...who caused your memories to be trapped with me...you may even need me even sooner...and once that happens...**_ Her creepy, insane, hysterical laughter echoed throughout the empty space, causing chills to run down Lucy's spine. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"-iss?" Lucy's eyes shot open, the image of her twisted illusion fading as she looked up at the teenage, brunette waitress waiting for her order, notepad and pen in hand, a look of concern in her slanted violet eyes. Lucy gave a soft smile before covering her mouth as she yawned.

"Ah, sorry about that, guess I must've dozed off" she chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck before looking over the menu, though she already knew what she was going to order. "A black coffee, no sugar and a sausage bap, thanks" The waitress gave a soft smile, jotting down the order before saying goodbye and giving the order to the boy behind the counter, blushing slightly as he said something to her. Lucy sighed, her hands fumbling together under the table as she looked outside. Maybe she should have gone and got her repeat prescription for her meds last week like her psychiatrist had told her to, instead of lying and saying that she'd be fine. She huffed as she leaned her cheek against her hand, yawning once more. In all honesty, she had kept herself so busy recently that she hadn't really had time to allow herself to focus on anything but her work or private 'case'. So busy that the only time she had to spare on sleeping was when she passed out without even knowing she had. Until only a few days ago, and then her night terrors had started up again as soon as she had drifted to sleep. As well as her hallucinations and that creepy, annoying voice that constantly gave her snide remarks or played about, freaking her out. Sometimes it felt like the girl had taken over her, and she did things she wouldn't normally do or say, though she could never remember, her doctors had informed her that those events had took place. It was really beginning to mess with her. The blonde allowed her eyes to drift close again. Moments passed and the sound of the almost empty cafe faded. _Just like my memories._ She really was beginning to give up hope of ever recovering them.

" _ **With you going after the people who caused this…"**_ the illusion-Lucy's voice drifted back to the front of her thoughts. What did that mean? Was Fairy Tail the reason why she had amnesia? But how, why? Had she known them somehow? She opened an eye, peeking at her right hand that lay limply on the table. The mark she knew that lay under the leather biker glove came to mind. Was that why she had that mark? Did they know she was trying to find them? Was this another warning? But if they had caused her amnesia, why would they warn her? She just couldn't understand it. And she hated that. She was a detective -apprentice but so- and she couldn't seem to piece any of this together. " _ **..memories to be trapped with me..".**_ Did that mean that her 'other self' may be right...that if she ever regained her memories then she'd be released? But she was just an illusion...something she had created somehow…

" _If you take these meds, it will get rid of that voice, Lucy."_

Lucy thought back to everything her doctors and psychiatrists had told her.

" _The night terrors have stopped? That's an improvement."_

" _You haven't heard from her in a while? Good. That's great, you're doing well! It appears these tablets work well for you!"._

" _Ahh, nosebleeds and headaches are a side-effect, unfortunately"._

" _I'm afraid it appears that your amnesia hasn't began to improve since when you were diagnosed once you awoke from your coma"._

" _I'm afraid there may be a possibility that the medications used to...help your mental condition...may be affecting your ability to regain your memories. However, should you stop taking them, there's a high risk of you possibly developing more than just these voices.." How could someone just 'develop mental illness?_

" _It's not so much as just 'catching' them like flu...but it can develop from 'mild' to 'sever' much like other illnesses"._

" _After looking through your files and the symptoms you've shown while being hospitalised...it appears that this…'voice' is no longer just that. It seems that our diagnostic of 'schizophrenia' was not correct. It appears that you may actually have a split personality, Lucy.". How can a professional mix up one mental illness for something else?_

" _It's no different than trying to find a physical illness Miss Heartfilia. It's similar to 'trial and error' and some mistakes can be made, please try to understand this"._

" _We will have to try another medication"_

" _It's came to our attention that your...other self...has psychotic tendencies...we'll have to change your medication again for a stronger dose. However, these tablets are also classed as anti-psychotics...don't be alarmed, it's just to help keep her away…"_

" _It seems as though you're back to yourself, Lucy. How've you been feeling this past week?"_

" _Trouble breathing? That's...not on the list of side effects…"_

" _Tingling sensations? Blurred vision, shaking limbs, hyperventilation...it seems you have panic disorder"_

" _Someone watching you constantly? But you've not found anyone..and your showing signs of trust issues and constatly feeling as though everyone's talking about you or laughing at you?" The man in the suit would nod before jotting down more notes, "Paranoia it would seem, anything else?"._

" _Lack of appetite and motivation…" he would say._

" _Here, try this instead, replace these for the ones you already take"._

" _Maybe we should higher your dosage"._

" _Perhaps you should take these twice a day"_

" _Take these twice daily, and on Friday of every week you'll have an appointment at the nurse's office at your GP for an anti-psychotic injection."_

" _Hmm...it appears you've missed a few of your nurse appointments...I guess you_ are _busy at the station and with work...take these once a day with your other tablets"._

Lucy let out a deep breath as she shook her head. That's all they ever said. Take these. Try these. You have this. You have that. How about taking these. These will make you feel normal. These will help with this and that. None of it worked. Plus she had to take them for like six to eight weeks at least, a few months maximum before being able to tell them if they worked or not, and with what side effects. In the end she had given up and stopped going to them, feeling done with being a rat in their laboratory.

"Hey, Lucy isn't it?" A voice spoke up as Lucy's breakfast arrived with her coffee. The blonde glanced in the direction the voice came from. A familiar silverette stood there, a sweet smile plastered on her face.

"Oh, hey, you're... Lisanna, right? The girl I met when I was seeing Cana that one time?". The pale-haired girl grinned, chuckling as Lucy waved her hand, offering the woman a seat opposite her as she began to tuck in to the bap in front of her, humming in appreciation and at the wonderful taste. "So, what brings you to this particular diner?" Lucy raised a brow, taking a sip of her bitter coffee. Loving the taste as it began to do it's job of waking her up a little. Lisanna cleared her throat, shuffling in an awkward manner, something that would have been subtle if Lucy hadn't noticed it, after all, she was good at observing people and analysing them. Her eyes narrowed. The iris becoming slightly darker as that familiar voice called out again. Her laughter echoing so loudly that Lucy's head twitched, a sly smile twitching at the corners of her lips. _**Look at her squirm! Oh god! This is gold. The almighty, fearsome Lisanna. This bitch-**_ Dark-Lucy's voice growled, her laughter dying down. She could feel herself becoming stronger, managing to push aside the Lucy that had taken over her body for so long, the Lucy that had formed due to that stupid accident. She couldn't wait until this fucking moron finally unlocked her cage. Once she was free, the first person she'll murder -after she kills off 'Innocent Lucy' will be this damn slut that sat in front of her. Her 'best friend'.

"You know" Lucy's voice was more like a purr, seductive and silky as the words rolled from her soft, full lips. "Instead of stalling and squirming around..why don't you go ahead and tell me the answer to this question, and I won't repeat myself, again...what's a backstabber like you doing here." Lisanna's eyes widened, her chest clenching as the familiar tone of her friend spoke those words. She stopped fidgeting, looking up to see that dull, dark gaze of Lucy's focusing on her features.

"L-Lucy...is that...really you?" A lump formed in her throat as the blonde sighed, tensing her jaw. Of course it was her… only the old Lucy acted like this. Oh how she had missed the blonde so much! She couldn't help but smile. "I've missed you, we all have" The blonde opposite her snorted, muttering too low for the silverette to hear her. "Come back to us, please!"

"Why should I?" she leaned forwards, her face creeping closer to the blue-eyed girl, causing sweat to gather on her pale brows. "You betrayed me. You caused him to hurt me. You're the reason he had abused me." Her voice growled, her words no louder than a breath.

"I-I...I didn't want it to happen...Lucy he threatened us! All of us! I...I never told him about Gray...Juvia had...he was going to kill us all...J-Juvia...Lucy...please trust me...Natsu-he was acting weird...talking to himself, about you-about killing you first...we...didn't understand at the time...but afterwards we found out that he-"

"-I don't care-ughn" Lucy leaned back, her words dripping with venom until a pained grunt ripped from between her lips. "Shit" the blonde hissed as both her hands grabbed at her head. "Not now!" Her eyes snapped to Lisanna's, the dark hints that swirled around them slowly fading. "Don't you even say a word...about this" she groaned as her features relaxed, one hand falling onto the table as a softer, lighter groan erupted from a confused looking blonde. Lisanna watched, an equally confused look on her face.

"Are...you okay, Lucy?" The blonde sighed, closing her eyes tightly before licking at her lips.

"Y-yeah...just...sorry, I'm starting to get a headache...I blacked out for a second there I think…" The blonde took in a few deep breaths, trying to get rid of the dizzy-spell that had took over her. Blinking up, she looked towards the sweating silverette, "What about you? Have you got a fever? Don't you feel well?" she frowned, leaning forwards to place a hand to the girl's forehead, pulling back as the woman in front of her flinched away from her touch.

"N-no, I'm...fine, thank you though...for worrying, I just came to give this to you… it's a journal..I guess, Cana mentioned about you looking into Fairy Tail" she whispered under her breath to the blonde, the brown-eyed girl barely made out what she was saying. "Well...this small notepad has a lot of details in that you might find interesting. I've wrote down were their old bases were too. I know it seems strange...but I promise you can trust me on this...y'see...I'm his ex...and he done some...things to me that, well, it's childish, but I sort of want...revenge...so when I got wind from Cana that you wanted info on them...I couldn't help myself" She smiled sadly, something Lucy took as her 'feeling pathetically childish' for wanting revenge, which she didn't actually find 'pathetic'. Truth was, Lisanna felt bad for doing this. Setting Lucy up. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to the blonde. None of them wanted this girl to be hurt but it was just...Natsu…

Yes, he had changed since Lucy had left him. However, one couldn't tell if it was for better or for worse. He became more sadistic and psychotic. Colder. Though more mature and slightly serious -he still acted like a child sometimes- He also became much more obsessed with the blonde. Sure, he was obsessed and possessive before but now… Lisanna shook her head. Lucy smiled as she reached for the notebook in front of her. "Thanks Lis...I'll read through it once I get home… Do you wa-" Lisanna's face twitched, going unnoticed, the old nickname that Lucy used to call her by hurt slightly, but being around this Lucy made her feel weirdly uncomfortable. She also felt shaken from what happened before. She knew, they all did, that the blonde suffered from amnesia, yet just before she was talking to _their_ Lucy. The _real Lucy._ and then all of a sudden...that Lucy disappeared and the new one was back...it just really creeped her out. She smiled softly, noticing the way those brown eyes narrowed, that dark swirl entering them again, though the blonde herself acted as though she hadn't noticed it. It definitely freaked the silverette out, and though Lucy was her best friend, there was no way she could be around this unpredictable, insane killer any longer. So with a good-bye she left and made her way towards the black car just a few blocks away. She wrapped her arms around herself, goosebumps covering her arms and the hair at the bottom of her neck standing up. She could still feel those unmistakable melted chocolate eyes watching her, even though she knew the blonde wasn't even within watching distance. Oh yeah, she was definitely going to be haunted tonight by nightmares. She lay her head against the cool tinted window of the moving car, her eyes unfocused as the scenery passed by. She could only hope that their Lucy returned, and soon. A shiver ran down her spine. She closed her eyes, telling herself that she was almost at the base. That was one weird experience. Natsu hadn't mentioned anything except the amnesia and anxiety. Seems like there's more to her mental state than just that.

Lisanna felt like a guinea pig, and Lucy was the Virus.

Lucy sighed as she watched the white-silver haired woman leave the diner before she finished off her bap and picked up the coffee, before making her way over to the counter to pay and leave a small tip. Once she got home she placed the small A5 book on her coffee table and sat down, her head still throbbing.

Her eyes sliding towards the white cover that said "A5 Refill lined-paper". _**Don't trust them. Don't follow any of those locations. Stay here. Away from them.**_ Why should she?

Maybe if she actually did go there, she might remember something. She opened the book. There, on the first page was a photo, a clear one, of Natsu. It had been ripped in half, so only he was shown, she guessed since his arm looked as though it was wrapped around someones waist. He smirked, his eyes half-lidded as they stared. She knew the male was staring at the camera, but those intense, dark eyes of his felt as though they stared right at her. Or through her. She was unsure. But the longer she stared, the warmer she began to feel. "Natsu" She murmured as her fingers traced his outline careful. He had always seemed so familiar to her yet she didn't know why. Maybe she really had been involved with them in the past.

" _You belong to me"._ A deep, males voice called out, a small chuckle followed as she began to close her heavy eyes. Damn she felt tired. With one last yawn she slowly slid down the couch, moving into a more comfortable position before falling asleep. A few more hours won't hurt.

 _ **I hope you listen to my warning and stay away. If you go back...we might never be able to escape again. Even if we get the chance to, we may not want to. After all...he'll be there...I don't want to see him again...I still love him.**_ The younger, true Lucy sighed, her knees against her chest and arms wrapped around them, her eyes staring dully at the chain attached to her. It was beginning to rust. As much as she wanted to be free, she didn't mind being trapped here. She felt safe. She blended in better with society. She led a better life, she wasn't hungry or living a nightmare. Even though her body had to digest medication to make it so, she felt...normal for once. Sure she remembered, but she was locked far away. She was also one with the current Lucy, she felt and saw the same things that this new, innocent version of herself did...it was nice, too. It was peaceful compared to her last life...in a way, she was glad she got to start life again. However, now she knew why Gajeel had called her a 'Curious Bunny'. She also understood why this trait had irritated her friends at some point. It was irritating her now. As she said, she didn't mind being trapped here...if she was free, the current Lucy would be destroyed. Her memories would be back, and instead of being in the furthest past of her mind, locked and hidden away, they would be free to haunt her again. She wouldn't be able to live like this anymore either. She wouldn't fit in this matter how much 'happy-normal pills' she took. She loved the sight of blood too much to be able to live a normal live. Lusted for it too much. She'd have no choice but to go back to the underworld scene. Either crawl back to Fairy tail, or become a serial killer or whatever. Maybe even end up in prison or something. She sighed one last time. She couldn't deal with any of that. So she decided to continue repeating her wish like a mantra: Please don't let her find them. Please don't let her remember.

Perhaps if she finally became free again, she could kill that damn pinkette. Would she be able to live freely then? Who knows, but she wouldn't be able to kill him. He was all she had left. He was the only one who understood her and her him. They only really had each other and the other member of their 'family', Fairy Tail. Not to mention that he had always been better than her at pretty much everything...

Why did she have to still love him so much?


	8. More Questions, No Answers

_**Chapter Eight: More Questions, No Answers.**_

She was beyond done.

Like completely, thoroughly done. Completely spend.

She had spent the last week and two days tracking down the old Fairy Tail bases and any that could possibly be their current one.

And she had found absolutely nothing. Not even a trace of...well...anything! Nothing to show any signs of someone ever being there.

The blonde groaned, cutting of as an almighty yawn broke across her face and she rubbed at her eyes -which had apparently been shopping with the size of the bags that had grown under them, so dark that even make-up wasn't covering it up much- as she made her way to her newest case of her new job: She had officially gotten her detective badge yesterday; she hadn't received it until that morning though.

Fixing the cold metal that was pinned onto her sleeveless, white-coloured blue top before smoothing down white shorts and shoving her feet into her thigh-high, brown leather boots she reached over to the counter to grab a pear and her keys. Giving her apartment one last glance over she closed the door behind her, locked it, and set off to the newest crime scene.

She wasn't sure why she was asked to be on this case, it wasn't even to do with the Magnolian Police Force.

The crime had taken place in Shirotsume, a town that wasn't _too_ far away, but is wasn't so close that you could walk. The fact that they didn't have a railway station was just ridiculous, and no buses went that way neither, but it was kind of nostalgic, she remembered when she first started this job -before transferring to Levy's station- and had done her first job over in that town under a man named Officer Kaby Melon. It was to do with the death of the 'Underworld Lord' of that area: Everlue. A creepy man with some very, _very_ weird views on beauty; and from what Lucy had learned on that job, she was glad she had never been to the town before when he had been alive -or at least she thought she hadn't, either way she was glad she couldn't remember though his name was familiar.

She had just parked up her motorcycle, taking of her helmet as Kaby Melon's voice caused her to turn and smile at her former mentor. "Long time no see, Heartfillia. Or should I say Detective Heartfilia?" Lucy let out an amused huff as she shook her head. It had been over a year now since she had last seen the greying officer.

"Officer Melon, it's been too long and it's thanks to you for taking me under your wing that i'm here today. If you hadn't of been willing to take me in then no one would have, not for a good few years at least. Especially to be a detective" Kaby smiled softly and clamped a hand on the brown-eyed girls shoulder.

"Congratulations, Lucy. You earned the title all of your own, so you shouldn't be thanking me". The look in the older man's eyes told her that that was final on the matter of her new job occupation. "Moving on, today's scene had pretty much been cleared, the landlord wanting it ready for new tenants and all" Lucy raised her eyebrows, though she couldn't say she was shocked, "the bastard" Kaby added under his breath causing the blonde to let out a breath-like chuckle, covering it with a cough.

"So, if it's been cleared, how am I-" Kaby held his hand up and turned around, motioning for the blonde to follow.

"This way, detective. Photo's of the crime scene have been taken, though it's not as good as seeing it in person, it will have to suffice". Lucy followed after Officer Melon as they moved through the almost empty station towards the evidence room, going to an office just opposite, Lucy raised a questioning brow.

"I found something interesting at the scene. I know it's against protocol, but this piece involved you. At least I believe it does. Normally I would've handing it straight in and this is the first time I've ever risked my job. I have not mentioned it to anyone else and had pocketed it before the team even noticed it was there" the tall man murmured low enough that only Lucy could hear as he closed his door and made his way around the wooden desk. He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the top draw, taking out a photograph. "Here".

Lucy stared at the image of her. She assumed it was taken around the same time as the last. She stood there, in a short black skirt, a pink top and a pair of half high black boots, the bottom half of her hair left down with the top half in a short, high side pony. She didn't have any blood on her this time, but she was still stood with the red-head and raven-haired boy. This time accompanied with two very familiar faces, faces she knew the names to. Levy and Lisanna.

"Wh-"

"I don't know. I knew it was you, and Levy McGarden. I knew you probably wouldn't remember, but I really need to ask you something". Lucy swallowed thickly before nodding.

"B-but can I ask...why was this.." she wasn't sure why she was struggling to ask her question, there was nothing in this image to suggest there was anything bad or dark about her unknown past, not like the other image, and if Levy was in it, it should be fine...right? But that also meant her small bluenette friend had lied to her about them being friends before the accident.

"I'm not sure if it's because you knew the person who was killed, and this was just a photo of some friends...or because the person who killed him was also in this image. I believe it's the latter, Detective Heartfillia".

"The...the latter? Who-" Lucy felt like time had slowed, was this an interrogation? It was possible. Kaby melon wasn't being rude, he had even risked his job withholding evidence...but if the killer of their case was in the photo.. Her brown eyes darted to Levy's figure on the page. Had they also taken Levy? Who had they been involved with back then?

"Yes. Zancrow, former member of Grimoire Heart. They were a rivalling mafia to Fairy Tail, until about three years ago, when their boss had been assassinated and their second-in-command, a man known as Bluenote Stinger, was imprisoned. After that the rest of the members either joined gangs or other mafias" Lucy frowned, biting down on her lip before meeting the man's dark eyes, or at least she believed they were, he squinted too much to tell majority of the time. Kaby stared back at her and she wondered why he sounded as if she knew ll of this when he knew she didn't. So she sighed.

"How do you know I know him?"

"Because I looked into your past files." Lucy's eyes widened. She actually had files of before the accident? Why could she never find them then? Before she could ask, officer Melon pulled out a folder from the draw he had left open.

 _ **Lucy Ashley.**_

"What...but…"

"It's the only name of the blonde girl in the image. Nothing was really known about her because no one had known her name until you lost your memories. This was a fake name you had used whenever hospitalised." he opened up the folder and pulled out a sheet with an image of a younger her taped to it. "Lucy Ashley, impatient for two days due to bruising and broken leg. Internal bleeding was found and puncture of the left lung. Fluid on lung was not serious and she healed relatively well before her escape. No insurance" Kaby then pulled out another sheet. The image on this one was of a Blonde haired male with manic red eyes "Zancrow was found assaulting Lucy minutes prior to hospitalisation and attempted to assault bystanders. Later found and places in an isolated cell for four days. Charges dropped and no further action taken". Kaby placed the images on the desk on top of the folder and crossed his arms.

"What…"Lucy started, utterly confused and hating herself for not remembering, though she felt...murderous, as if she could still taste the blood in her mouth and feel the wheezing in her chest from what had happened. She couldn't remember but she could _feel_ it: the pain, the emotions, the want for revenge. Though she guessed he was the victim so in a way her revenge had already been dealt.

"I know you weren't the culprit; and as I said, no one will know of these, the file and photo's are yours and will not ever be known. What happened in the past is not who you are now, that's all that matters. However, these people here" he pointed at the image of her and her 'friends' if that even who they were, "are members of Fairy Tail. they are dangerous, and I don't know if they're doing this to tar-" Lucy zoned out. She hadn't really managed to hear what he had been saying, it was just noise in the background now.

She had know people who were in Fairy Tail? It explained why they seemed familiar, why the mafia had sounded so familiar that day when Levy had-

Levy.

She couldn't possibly be involved with them. She was the daughter of the fucking chief of police for crying out loud! He'd of known if she was playing some form of spy.

Unless she had deleted the files. She was someone the head would not of been suspicious of, and she had access to everything. Every database. That made her the perfect contact. She wouldn't be able to get caught. Maybe that was why no one had anything on fairy Tail. Their criminal records, their medical records...any record at all within any government database had been erased, starting with the ones on the police system. Levy was brilliant at hacking, and often the police and hospitals shared their data, especially if it's a criminals. Or to do with a case of abuse and assault or attempted murder. All of which would link any gangs medical and criminal records together. Then, once in...it would be difficult since it was more secured...but Levy was smart enough and quick enough to be able to hack into the birth and death of any person, especially if she already had their details. Their DNA would've already…

No. No Levy wouldn't do any of that. She wasn't a criminal, she was sweet and innocent.

But she had lied to Lucy about knowing her.

Maybe it was to protect the blonde from her past? Maybe Levy had known about her past, about whatever it was she had been in the photo of her and her two 'friends' covered in blood and _smiling_ about it.

Lucy gingerly picked up the photo, her hand shaking. Fairy Tail. that was who the redhead and half naked pervert were. Hit-men. Members of Fiore's number one mafia. So what had she been? Was she an ex-member? Or just hired assistance? Did that mean, since it seemed as though all these recent murders have been former members of various disbanded mafia's, and people she had apparently _known…_ Was she next? She ran a pale thumb over the image of her small friend. She didn't believe Levy had been involved. Did that mean she had involved her bookworm friend somehow? Had they taken her to mess with Lucy? She just didn't understand anything. Every time she thought she was getting closer to understanding, she was pushed further away. She was asking more questions than getting any form of answer. Because no one had any.

Only her past and a place full of criminals.

 _ **Who caused your memories to be trapped with me.**_

Maybe her 'inner voice' was right.

Maybe all she needed to do was listen to the voice inside her head, and let her out.

 _ **You may even need me sooner.**_

For some reason, she had a bad feeling about this.

.

 **A/n: I know it's been too long since I've updated, but I generally have no time anymore gahh sorry guys ;-; However, as I've said before, I will not be abandoning any of my stories, but the updating will vary and I won't be able to have any set dates for when the next update will be, but hopefully it won't be as long as it took for this one, hence why I'll be posting this one now and the next one tomorrow [I was going to post it now but there's parts that I just don't like in it and am now wondering why I even put them there ahaha]. Thank you all so, so much for being patient and waiting! I realised there's a load of typo's and errors within the story itself and I will eventually be going back to edit and correct them, but hopefully they're not too bad.**


	9. A Russian Blue Named Happy

**A/n; I was debating between three different cat breeds for Happy: the Russian Blue, the Chartreux and the British Blue. they have similar coat colours, being a greyish colour but their features are slightly different, some of the characteristcs met Happy's, but a lot don't, but then again Happy is an exceed and also very unique, so are the cats of breeds, even when they're the same breed they still have their own unique personalities. I decided to go with the Russian Blue since his personality was closest to Happy, though I was thinking of a mixture between the three, but as I said, each cat has different personalities. As the reader, you can change his breed to whichever you'd prefer!**

 _ **Chapter Nine: A Russian Blue Named Happy.**_

The rest of that day and the one following was spent looking through the images that the investigation team had taken. Nothing really stood out apart from the man himself, though with the charred skin she wasn't entirely sure it was the same guy; sure the rough height and build of the guy was vaguely similar, it couldn't be known until the DNA that had been sent off came back as a match to that of Zancrow. The results wouldn't be known for another day or two.

It was strange, in a way, that the known pyromaniac had had his remains burned -if really was him- though it was hard to guess if he had been alive or not during it since his jaw was the only thing still attached to the body -his top half of his head had been found across the room as if someone had ripped it off its hinges and then threw it behind them. So the mask of the pain from being burnt alive wasn't really seen. And from the lack of witness to any screams said it was probable that he hadn't been.

She felt sick. The bile bubbling its way up her throat slowly.

Yet there was a part, small and deep down as it was, that was enraptured by the site of it.

That feeling alone was enough to tip the blonde over the edge. Quickly grabbing hold of the small bin next to her, she brought up the only meal she had actually managed to eat since finding that photo of her yesterday. Baked beans on toast.

She heaved one last time, wiping her mouth with a piece of napkin before throwing it away and setting the bin back down with a disgusted look on her face. Her eyes glanced back to the photos of the crime scene again. She was used to seeing gruesome scenes: people cut open, innards and guts everywhere, murdered rape victims, beheaded wife, gun-shot husband, prostitutes with tongues cut out, eyes gouged out...but to be brutalised like this? She had only ever seen a burnt body once. A small child that had been abandoned in a house fire while their abusive, alcoholic mother had locked them in and left over a week prior. She took pleasure in tracking the woman down and placing her in prison.

The sentence had not been long enough in the blondes opinion.

She groaned as she felt another rise of vomit and leaned over the bin as it passed her lips. She hadn't thrown up once since the first month of entering the police force since she knew that she would see so much of this, especially in Fiore: the heart of gangs, mafia's and petty criminals.

It wasn't so much the image that was making her feel so sick, it was the horrible, excited feeling that tingled and caused butterflies to flutter inside her. It usually wasn't this bad when she saw things like this. She could easily ignore it every other time. That didn't mean it didn't make her feel like shit. Or like she was going to hell. She pulled away, gulping down air and trying to ignore the string of bile-saliva that stuck to her chin as she searched her room for some tissue.

It took her what felt like minutes rather than seconds to wipe her mouth, chin and neck with a wet cloth and rinse her mouth out with mouthwash. Once done, she grabbed the roll of toilet paper and made her way back towards the vanity next to her bed, her laptop already set up for her to type notes down of anything she found.

By the end of that day, all she wanted to do was hit her head against the wall. Repeatedly. She couldn't find anything that hadn't already been found, and they were the obvious points; burned, head separated from jaw, killed in his own home, etcetera. There were no other prints but his own that had been found, so obviously -unless the pyro himself had set himself on fire, or it really wasn't him, which the blonde was seriously debating- it had been done by professionals, not your common robber or mugger.

Which pointed to either the top gangs, or the mafia's themselves. Which was given if the corpse is actually Zancrow.

Kaby melon had been convinced that it was the work of Fairy Tail due to the history, but until evidence showed up, it was hard to say. Grimoire Heart had problems with near enough every crime family. Zancrow more so than the other members. Especially after the accident he had caused at the Tenrou Event -a party held every year for relations between the crime lords and their top hit-men. Some celebrities and well off families also attended. The event itself was no secret but the police would be stupid to intervene when they were _heavily_ outnumbered- when he had, not only caused Phantom Lord to turn on Fairy Tail, but for Jose Porla to be executed by the second-in-command at the time, Natsu Dragneel, the present day Boss of Fairy Tail. All because he tried to use Jose to capture and torture one of Fairy Tail's own.

That was all Officer Melon had enlightened her with.

It was already dark out by the time she lightly pressed her forehead into the peeling, pale wood she sat at and decided to go and grab something from the chip shop at the end of the street. She shouldn't have been hungry, after just throwing up because of mixed emotions and grotesque imagery; but the fact that her stomach was now achingly empty, and her throat burned slightly, food sounded about right. Especially a cheesy chip wrap with barbecue sauce. Something she knew they done since she had seen someone walking out with one earlier.

Lucy was two shops over from her destination when she heard the cry. It was only small, and looking around, it seemed as though no one else had heard her. Frowning she gave a small shrug before taking another step. A cat's cry sounded out again, though it wasn't very loud. Nor did it really sound like a cry. It was more like a slight squeak, or the releasing of air inside a balloon. She whipped her head around her, scanning high and low for the animal -if it even was an animal- making the sound.

Her eyes locked with eyes of such brilliant green that they could only be feline. She tilted her head and walked closer, her hand raising gently in front of her to allow the cat to sniff her. "Hello there, Cutie. Where you the one crying?" The cat, instead of smelling her like normal cats do, began purring and rubbing it's slate grey-blue fur against her hand, letting out another near-silent cry that sounded -if she was imagining what the baby was saying- a little like an 'Aye'. Her eyes widened slightly before softening, maybe she was a kitty whisperer? Or the new, reborn catwoman? One could dream.

She chuckled and scratched the cat's head and behind his ears. Usually Russian blue's -she figured due to his features and colouring- are shy around strangers. She smiled softly and moved slowly, ever careful about scaring him, as she picked him up. He obeyed willingly and even moved to sit on her shoulder. She giggled.

"Alright then, guess I have no choice, right? After all, mama told me that you don't get to choose the cat. The cat chooses you." She couldn't help but be amused as she walked back to the hotel.

She went out for food, and came back with a pet. Lucky for her, the hotel was fine with animals as long as they didn't make too much of a mess and any damages done to furniture were paid for.

"Hmm...you're going to need a name right?" Lucy mumbled as she closed her rooms door. He didn't have a collar on, and she hadn't realised just how filthy he was until she really took him in, looking him over. "You're also going to need food...I don't have any meat or cat food" Lucy placed a finger on her chin. The only thing she had was fish, and she was told by Levy a while back that feeding fish to cats can cause liver disease later on in life. Something Levy had found while ready up vet books and facts about cats and diseases. She never did explain to the blonde why she had been reading them in the first place. boredom most likely.

The busty girl sighed. "Guess fish will have to do...just this once won't harm him, right?" by the time she had finished the sentence, the blue-ish cat had already jumped down and trotted into the kitchen. Curious and amused, the young woman followed and watched as he pawed at the bottom right cabinet where the tinned sardines sat.

A delicate dark blonde-brown brow rose, "I would've pegged you for a fresh fish kind of cat…." that definitely caught the feline's attention, his eyes sparkling in a way that Lucy wondered if it was from hunger, or amusement. Maybe both. Or something else entirely. but for some reason, she couldn't help but think, _this cat feels like home_. "Alright then, Happy. Let's-" She froze. "Happy?" she repeated as she looked back at the cat. He had tilted his head slightly the first time, and when she had repeated his name, he gave her his 'aye'-like cry and she gave a happy nod. "Happy sounds like a fine name".

She had always sucked at names. So much so that she now wanted a dog. Both for herself and to keep Happy company.

A white, miniature German schnauzer.

And she would call him Plue. The thought of having one gave her a sense of deja vu. She side glanced at Happy as she pulled out the mackerel from the fridge. Scrunching up her nose as she lay it on the floor for the animal. The thought of her future pet 'Plue' was almost as familiar as the site of Happy the '-go-lucky' cat from the way he was devouring the fish. Maybe she was thinking too much. Plus the woman was already annoyed that she couldn't find anything useful in her latest case. She'd go sleep for a few hours and figure out what to do later.

Yawning, she took a quick shower, threw on a too-big, old shirt and crawled until the sheets; Happy pouncing up seconds later and curling up on the unused pillow next to her. "Night Happs" she breathed as her eyes fluttered. Missing the small curve of the feline's lips as they tugged up before releasing a mighty yawn of his own. He placed his head on his paws, watching the blonde for a few more moments before his eyes, too, closed.

"What do you mean, 'We can't find him anywhere'?" the pinkette male growled, clenching his hands. "How hard is it to find a damn cat?"

"Natsu. Calm down" Erza rolled her eyes and she walked towards him. "It's Happy we're talking about. He probably went out. He'll be back in a few days. You know how cats are". Lisanna frowned, scratching at her cheek.

"Yeah..but Happy doesn't normally go anywhere unless he's with Natsu or Lu-" her sapphire-coloured eyes widened. "Or Lucy…. Do you think he might have followed her scent?"

"He's not a dog!" Natsu pouted like a child. A look that shocked them all. A look he hadn't held since Lucy left.

"Cat's have a very good sense of smell, flame-brain" Gray chuckled, rolling his eyes as Natsu sent him a glare. The old nickname almost left the rest of the group breathless. Had they died? Gray had just insulted the boss. And he wasn't harmed. He was still breathing.

"Watch your mouth, Ice Princess" was the only retort the pinkette hissed. Erza's brows rose high into her hairline. For once not telling them to stop fighting. It felt...strange. Nostalgic. A small spark of joy began to light inside her chest.

She would let them be. For now.

After all, her cherry-blossom haired boss had enough stress. Maybe the thought of Lucy being one of them again was causing him to be less...edgy. They all hoped so. They missed having Lucy and Natsu back as they were. Together or not. Both may be bloodthirsty, but they weren't all about killing. They just enjoyed it like a hobby.

Soon. Soon their family will be back to normal again. The way it was, and should be.


	10. No Place Like Home

**Chapter 10: No Place Like Home...**

Today, Lucy had a mission.

The Vets.

She had gone out shopping the day before to buy cat necessities: Litter, Litter tray, food, bowls...you know, the usual.

She also made sure to pick up cat shampoo and a green flea collar (that may or may not have looked a little like a kitty version of a backpack).

She realised two days after having Happy as a companion that he could possibly be a beloved pet of someone. Honestly, the busty woman wondered why she hadn't noticed the possibility sooner. The blue fur-ball -though filthy when she had discovered him- seemed to be well fed and spoiled from what she had seen.

That also meant that he may possibly be chipped.

So no harm in getting him checked, right? And that was exactly what she was going to do. Placing the blue feline into the pet carrier attachment on her bike, she set off to her destination.

Within the hour, she had found results: A name and an address.

~o~

Magnolia was known for its luscious forest on its outskirts. One of the very few places of vegetation -local parks could hardly pass since most of them were only large enough for a swing set and a slide- left in the otherwise concrete towns and cities of Fiore.

So when Lucy followed the directions, with a hell of a lot of difficulty she might add -What kind of nutjob lived anywhere _near_ magnolia forest?! Never mind _in_ it! _What the hell!_ \- she had still gotten lost because her mobile data and network cut off due to the lack of signal.

It was already dark by the time she had found the house and she couldn't help but shake slightly when a shiver spider-walked down her spine.

Turning the engine off at a healthy distance of ten feet -she really didn't feel like being killed by the person who lived here..especially over a cat- the honey-brown-eyed girl manoeuvred off and around her bike, detaching the carrier before making her way towards the house.

One thing she wasn't afraid to admit, was that each step closer, her heart pounded harder.

She couldn't deny being absolutely terrified at that moment. It was eerily similar to a horror film and that made her uncomfortable.

Isn't the blonde white girl always the first to die? She felt her footing falter, one leg still in the air as the thought crossed her mind. The blood that had been pumping around the girl's body with a vengeance, suddenly drained from her face completely as she looked back over her shoulder towards her bike.

Maybe she should've just waited until tomorrow.

When it was light. But that would still mean she'd be in a forest, light or not she was at least a good mile away from...well...anyone and anything.

 _That meant no one would hear me scream._

A loud clap echoed into the empty night, as a dainty, pale hand collided with Lucy's now red cheeks. Shocking herself out of her fear.

"Ouch! Totally didn't mean to hit that hard~!" she whisper-whined as she slowly rubbed her right cheek. Taking a deep breath to centre herself, she made the last few steps to the faded wooden door.

She couldn't help eyeing the house up, what kind of person would even live here?

There were tree branches growing out from the actual building, though the structure seemed solid enough to not collapse -did they break physics?- but besides that, the house looked relatively normal….for a witch out of a children's story, probably.

 _Especially with the crooked chimney at the side. Guess that's art for you?_

Lucy let loose one last shiver as she looked down at Happy, a wicked gleam in his eye as he looked back at her.

Ever since meeting him, she knew that cats could smile. They were also very evil in a mischievous way, too, and they certainly weren't stupid animals.

Eyes back on the wooden door, her fist rapped against it.

"I hope you realise what I-" before she could even finish her sentence to the cat, the door creaked open, causing another shiver to run through her body as her head slowly, and almost robotically, turned towards the shadowed person.

"L-Lucy..san?"

Fortunately, it wasn't some creepy-arse guy hellbent on killing her or anything dark and twisted like she had expected. However, she hadn't registered that the girl knew her name.

Said girl gave a small smile in relief, the tears that had been welling up slowly drying and fading away. Then the reality settled, and concern became the dominant emotion.

She took in the young teen at the door, long dark blue hair in twin high pony-tails, dressed in pale green pyjamas with small blue -what was that? Dragons?- creatures designed all over them.

"Hey there, sweetheart, is your mother or father home?" She watched as the girl's face fell slightly, taking in Lucy's face before giving a small sigh.

"Sorry, n-no one else is here but me at the moment".

"Oh...I see" Lucy frowned as she gave the girl a second look-over. She seemed a little too fragile and young to be left alone out here, whether this was her home or not, it wasn't like they had neighbours around should anything go wrong.

As if she knew what Lucy was thinking, the bluenette opened the door a little wider and stepped outside slightly.

"B-but, my big brother will be home shortly. He's my guardian, he just went to get some milk and bread from the shop, if you'd like to...maybe...wait".

"I see, well I'll take up your offer if you don't mind..?"

"O-oh, right, I'm Wendy." Lucy gave a nod as the girl moved aside to let her in.

The inside was much nicer than the outside, it still seemed a little outdated: a wood fire burning in the centre of the room with a stone fireplace. A plain wooden table sat before it on a mat with an old-fashioned red-orange couch not far from it and a matching chair on the other side, sat facing the fire. Luckily, it wasn't too close so it wasn't a fire hazard.

It was as Lucy sat down, that she remembered why she had come here.

"Oh, right!" the loudness of the gasp caused Wendy to jump slightly as she closed the door over.

"W-what is it?" Lucy couldn't help but giggled and place the carrier in her lap.

"I believe you're missing a cute little kitty named Happy?".

Wendy's eyes widened slightly as she made her way towards them before a smile graced her face and she giggled lightly, "Of course he'd be the one to find you". The bluenette covered her mouth as the blonde tilted her head in confusion.

"Wh-"

"I'm home~" the sound of the heavy door closing made both females spin around to face the culprit.

"J-Je"

"Hello, little sister" The male smiled as he dumped a plastic back on the table. He seemed somewhat familiar to the blonde, but then again, she was pretty certain she didn't know a guy who had a red tattoo under his eye, maybe he had a similar face to someone she'd interviewed? Or perhaps she had passed him before on the street.

The male placing a finger to his lips and winking when the blonde wasn't looking, his eyes switching between the young girl and the older one.

Wendy gave a slight, almost unnoticeable, nod before running up to him and hugging him.

"Big brother! What took you so long?".

"Sorry, Wen, traffic was bad on the way back" his eyes stayed focused on the blonde as she struggled to remove the blue death -Happy had an attitude Jellal was not able to tolerate, especially since the little creature was a constant pain in his arse. He was convinced the feline could play pranks and had a similar personality to Natsu's old one- out of his cage (could she not leave him in there?).

Instead of mentioning it, he took the opportunity to whisper in his boss' adoptive sisters ear. "Natsu got a call from the vets, informing him of Lucy receiving his address. I was supposed to be here earlier, but traffic was actually terrible. Once she's gone, I'll send him a text".

Well, that made more sense, the girl was beginning to worry about him, he hadn't told her he was working late. Though he could have texted her as forewarning about Lucy coming by to drop Happy off.

The journalist rejoiced when she finally got the cat out of the carrier; she would say that she had never known a cat that preferred being inside one so much before him, but she couldn't remember if she'd ever met a friends cat or not, she only recalled seeing them on her way to work. "Finally!"

The woman turned around with the cat carrier in hand and looked towards the older, bluenette male. "Well, I'll be off them, since happy's home as are you" she them gave Wendy a soft smile, "Where shall I put this? I have no need for it anymore so.."

"O-oh, Umm.." Wendy -yes, those little creatures were, indeed, dragons upon closer inspection- quickly rushed forwards to grab the box from her hands, "Thanks, I'll go put it in the storage cupboard. Be careful going home Lucy-san".

The blonde gave a nod before making her way to the door, "Pleasure meeting you, Wendy, Mr Dragion".

Jellal waved the blonde off with Wendy before closing the door and wincing as Lucy's engine started up, "Best texting your actual 'big brother' and tell him she's gone. I'll wait here with you until he arrives".

~0~

Lucy was just turning onto her street when she realised that she had never actually mentioned her name to the girl.

And she was still pondering over how the teen may have known it as she tried to force the lock to turn.

"Her brother must have mentioned me, the vets did take my name to let him know I was going to drop the cat off.." _That had to be it._

She began to frown again and grit her teeth though, as she realised that even though the key was turning, she still couldn't hear that distinctive 'click'.

She furrowed a brow after another two attempts before checking to see if it was open.

It was.

Had she forgotten to lock it? But she could've sworn… she sighed and closed the door over. She'd figure it out tomorrow, she was too tired to think.

"Don't even think about moving." She was about to turn around when the familiar, gruff voice growled out. A cold, metal object pressed against the back of her head.

 _Now what?!_

She honestly wished her life was more mundane.

She also had to say, watching movies or even just thinking about being in this situation...she would've thought she'd be some kind of badass.

But being in the situation, she felt as though she was either going to soil herself or break down crying.

Which was so _not_ badass.

 _~Sneak peek for next chapter~_

 _"You bastards! What did you do to her?! Where is she!" Natsu's roar echoed around the entire building, his vice-like grip on the phone turning his tan knuckles white. "I swear if you touch her. I'll-" his now low voice was cut off._

 _"-You'll what, Salamander?" the woman's voice took over, "Your threats mean shit as long as we have your precious 'Luce'." Natsu's teeth clenched._

 _"I just love how it took almost a week before you figured out that it was us. But she's soooo close to breaking. All of those screams of hers, I really wished you could've heard her. They're simply...delicious~" the silverette on the other end of the line licked her lips as the pinkette's face changed from anger to pain._

 _"Just let her go" His voice barely above a whisper. "She isn't a part of our world no more. I doubt she ever will be. I'll sign the fools deal, just-just let her go, please"._

 _"Don't be so certain. She just itching to break her chains. And He has no use of you anymore. Not when we have her as your replacement in the plan"._

 _"DON'T YOU FUCKIN' DAR-" then the line was dropped._


End file.
